Routledge The Art and Science of Working Together: Practising Group Analysis in Teams and Organisations (The New International Library of Group Analysis)

The Art and Science of Working Together: Practising Group Analysis in Teams and Organizations is a primary resource for anyone wishing to learn more about the complex unconscious dynamics of organizations, providing a practical guide for organizational work, a guide to how to improve things, and a strong theoretical foundation in the group analytic concept of the ‘tripartite matrix’. Group analysis is a highly developed science of group relationships, which allows complexity and systems perspectives to be held in mind alongside organizational psychology, strategic development and business wisdom. Organized into eight sections, the book describes the essence of organizational group analysis, including the art of conversation, leadership, ethical issues in team working, and working with whole organizations. It addresses issues such as ‘us-and-them’ dynamics, the nature of systems boundaries, and the relationship between an organization and its context. Leaders and leading consultants give case studies, describing their thinking as they work, to illustrate the theory in action. This essential new resource will allow clinically trained practitioners to extend their scope into organizational work, and all coaches and leaders to benefit from knowledge of the group analytic discipline. It is essential reading for consultants and coaches working with teams and organizations, and for leaders within organizations. Review "This book offers profound and revealing insights into how we humans work and live together in the groups we form and leave. Our development as a species has enabled us to trace the origins of the universe, to unravel the structure of our life forms, to understand something of the functioning of quantum particles and black holes. We have done this in groups and teams over more than 300,000 years and evolved an ability and inclination to work and live in groups. This book is unique in enabling us to make wiser sense of the complexity and beauty of these interactions, predicated as they are on dialogue. It offers a richer understanding than many of the easy and superficial management books on teamworking and group functioning and enables us to begin to imagine how we can overcome some of the profound challenges of working within and across groups that we face." -- Professor Michael West, Lancaster University Management School "The current era is plagued by over-simplification, when it needs simplexity ― the art of making things simple (ie understandable) but not simplistic. Group analysis is one of the most powerful tools we have to cope with growing complexity. This book is a major contribution into this growing field of insight and practice." – Professor David Clutterbuck, David Clutterbuck Partnership "Dialogue between different perspectives, offering much to all of us who work with the challenges of enabling change in organisations and wider systems." --Professor Peter Hawkins, author of Leadership Team Coaching "An impossible task! Capturing the essence of this important book-- it is all so valuable." --Frances Griffiths, Chair, Institute of Group Analysis "A major contribution to this growing field." --Professor David Clutterbuck "Offers a richer understanding than many of the easy and superficial management books on teamworking and group functioning." Professor Michael West, Professor of Organizational Psychology Lancaster University Management School "A rich resource for consultants and managers looking for alternative ways of thinking." --Chris Mowles, Professor of Complexity and Management, Hertfordshire Business School About the Author Christine Thornton is a group analyst, organizational consultant, and author of the best-selling Group and Team Coaching. She was Founding Director of the IGA RPiO organizational training and has been honoured for contributions to the coaching profession. Christine works with organizational leaders and coaches, enabling better und