AM23-PP15: In favour of Jungian coaching - resurfacing soul and spirit in organizations

In favour of Jungian coaching - resurfacing soul and spirit in organizations

Presenter: Dr. Avi Goren Bar

Abstract (extract)

In favor of Jungian Coaching

This article presents a comprehensive theoretical and practical survey focusing on the added value of Jungian Coaching. It will begin with the author's explanation of archetypes, and then describe work with company and executives; it will touch on the principles of Alchemy that produce change and finally, the article will end with the Jungian philosophical principles that guide a Jungian coaching process.

Why would coach, consultants and organizational psychologists consider inquiring into Jungian Coaching? While practicing Jungian coaching I often see astonished skeptical glances when I declare out loud that I am a Jungian coach. When coaches in practice get frustrated on their coaching job, I recommend to them "try Jungian coaching!" The uniqueness and added value of Jungian coaching is that it grants the client innovative perspectives on situations, events and processes at work. It enables the coach to see and comprehend invisible contents that activate processes, it provides the employee with vocabulary words and concepts that explain behavioral phenomenon, develops symbolic thinking in the team, as well as understanding of unconscious motivations and conflicts. It helps the trainees to attain meaning for their tremendous efforts and investments as well as their inevitable sufferings, frustrations, blocked states, inability to make decisions and tolerate obscure conditions. Jungian coaching recharges the system with irrational data which needs to be taken seriously. It fills the organization’s culture with feminine elements such as expressing feelings, containment, tolerance and nurturing, encourages original initiatives, creative thinking, imagination, thinking outside the box, bonds the individual to the collective, to the past ,the present and future of his/her own life as well as his/her business and investigates the company’s heritage, tradition and mythology which make solid roots for future vision.

There have been several attempts to present a Jungian approach to organization in the last years. Predominant are Corlett and Pearson (2003) with their pioneer book that is practical and bright. Previously, Jones (1996) offered comprehension of symbolism in organizations. We can also find interesting attempts to combine theoretical glimpses with case studies which, in my opinion, keep Jungian coaching on merely a vague theoretical level. Such are Smith (2002) with his attempt to connect the biblical book of Job to the feminine principle in leadership. Kociatkiewicz (2009) uses the concept of shadow archetype in order to present stories based on ethno-graphically inspired field studies of experiencing economic events and Ketola (2012) with a case study of a female company manager. Some tried to demonstrate applications of archetypal figures to case studies, such as Bala (2010), showing an interesting interpretation of the Trickster archetype, Goldberg (2001) using the Hero archetype, Remington (2007) who uses biblical mythology to connect to the analysis of leadership. I found Denise's (1997) article relating to feminine foundations in organizational psychology impressing.

For a coach to start applying Jungian thinking in his/her training approach, one must learn the basic vocabulary of the Jungian language relating to an individual and to an organization's psyche. It also requires practicing non- rational thinking by using symbols, metaphors, images and archetypes. ...

References

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