Interpersonal Dynamics in the Workplace

Interpersonal Dynamics in the Workplace

Name:

Institution:

Interpersonal Dynamics in the Workplace

            An example of a psychic prison that I am familiar with is the lack of sharing of ideas in the workplace as a means of keeping the long-established peace, status quo, and order. In an organization that does not embrace change and agility in terms of its communication styles, productivity levels will plummet despite the fact that members expend much of their time and energy. For instance, an organization that is used to holding weekly board meetings to discuss the progress of ongoing projects may not be open to the idea of holding online meetings or sending emails (which are more economical and less time-consuming, thus saving on company resources). Instead, members of the organization will opt to conform to this practice as a means of maintaining the company’s culture. Plato maintains that people feared the novel ideas and insights that the man who escaped the cave brought to them. They were therefore not willing to change their ideas about the reality in which they lived (Morgan, 2006).

            The concept of the psychic prison can be beneficial in understanding my behavior through examining how open I am to receiving new ideas from my group members or subordinates. Within the context of management, it may be challenging to decide moments when to uphold organizational regulations and when to embrace new ideas that bring benefit to the organization. Therefore, there is a need of developing a culture where members uphold ethical integrity, organizational order, and adhere to standard processes (Bolman & Deal, 2017). At the same time, it is equally important to cultivate an environment in which people are able to not only conceptualize new ideas, but also express them freely through the appropriate communication channels and to the right audience (Burke, 2017).

References

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership (6th Ed.). San Francisco, CA: Wiley.

Burke, W. W. (2017). Organization change: Theory and practice. Sage Publications.

Morgan, G. (2006). Images of organization. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.