þÿ<!-- * Author: Dr. Lynn Friedman * Copyright. 2006-8 Dr. Lynn Friedman. 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By examining workplace dynamics -- hirings, firings, narcissistic bosses and passive aggressive employees, the office scapegoat and the bosses pet, corporate dysfunction and corporate health, happy employees and miserable ones -- Friedman puts "Corporations on the Couch" in her widely popular column by that name. The psychoanalyst, psychologist, Johns Hopkins faculty member, organizational consultant and executive coach explains, in frank and often funny terms, how corporate cultures and corporate leaders support and sustain (albeit inadvertently) the surprising, strange and truly bizarre array of workplace behaviors. And, like any good therapist, Friedman helps readers to get off the couch, build healthy relationships and end bad ones."> <meta name="keywords" content="Dr. Lynn Friedman, Lynn V. Friedman, corporations on the couch - second in command first to suffer chief's vices - 20015 - 20815 - 20016 - 20015 - organizational dynamics - organizational dynamic - corporate - corporations -coach -career -couch - what is the meaning of psychoanalysis - applied psychoanalysis - The Washington Psychoanalyst -Dr. Lynn Friedman - psychoanalyst - clinical psychologist - psychologist - psychoanalytic - psychoanalysis - psychoanalyst - washington - d.c. - dc - maryland - bethesda - chevy chase - silver spring - rockville - northern virginia - arlington - virginia - fairfax - baltimore - johns hopkins - psychotherapy - work-life - johns hopkins - lynne - lynn - friedman -freedman -friedman - washington psychoanalyst - apsa - american psychoanalytic-friendship heights- washington post,"> <meta http-equiv="content-language" content="en-us"> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <meta http-equiv="expires" content="0" /> <meta http-equiv="pragma" content="no-cache"> </head> <!-- The first four attributes of the body tag are specific to IE and the last two are specific to Netscape. --> <body topmargin="0" leftmargin="0" rightmargin="0" bottommargin="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0"> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%"> <tr bgcolor="003366"> <td rowspan="2" class="barBG">&nbsp;</td> <td rowspan="2" class="barBG" width="158px" align="left"><img src="../../graphic/navigationBar/logo.gif" width="166px" height="58px" alt="Logo" border="0" /></td> <td width="582px" height="30px" align="right">&nbsp;</td> <td rowspan="2" class="barBG">&nbsp;</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="003366" valign="bottom"> <td class="barBG" align="right"> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="90%"> <tr> </tr> </table> </td> <tr> <td colspan="4" bgcolor="666699">&nbsp;</td> </tr> </table> </body> </html> <ul><p><h1><a href="http://www.corporationsonthecouch.com" target="_blank">Corporations on the Couch</a></h1></p></ul> <ul><p><h3><a href="http://www.drlynnfriedman.com/about.html" target="_blank">Lynn Friedman, Ph.D., Psychoanalyst, Clinical Psychologist and Executive Coach</a></h3></p></ul> <ul><p><h3>A monthly column published in the Washington Business Journal</h3></p></ul> <!-- Body of Text Begins Here --> <p align=center> <table cellpadding=5 cellspacing=0 border=1 width=700> <tr><td valign=top bgcolor="#dddddd"><FONT SIZE="3" FACE="verdana, arial, helvetica"> <b>To erase corporate dysfunction, assess and address</b></font> </td></tr> <tr><td valign=top><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="verdana, arial, helvetica"> <p>Tell any senior partner or executive that you're a psychoanalyst to corporations, and the floodgates open. No matter how high up they are in the food chain, no matter how profitable the corporation, they'll regale you with tales of organizational dysfunction.</p> <ul> <li> A senior partner, a rainmaker is legendary for hemorrhaging associates. </li> <li> A CEO with an irascible temperament and a serious drinking problem is renowned for his abusive tirades. </li> <li> A talented senior financial executive is notorious for sexual and racial harassment. </li> <li> The president of an association fails to back her vice presidents even when this leaves the nonprofit vulnerable to a lawsuit. </li> </ul> <p>Ask when their problems first began and you'll learn that they existed in the culture for as long as anyone can remember. In fact, these behaviors often do not get recognized as problems until they pose a major legal or financial threat to the organization.</p> <p>What prevents us from stopping behaviors that are costly, obnoxious or even illegal? And what can be done about it? The answer is as complex as the people within the companies.</p> <p><b>Analyze this</b></p> <p>A first step is to describe the organizational difficulty in detail.</p> <p>Let's take, for example, the law partner, "John," who can't retain associates.</p> <p>Start by writing down your own description. "John alienates associates. He asks them to work late hours and is insensitive to their personal needs. When they can't read his mind, he yells at them, throws things and tells them they're stupid. When they do deliver, he takes all the credit. And when partnership questions emerge, he votes against highly qualified people."</p> <p>Next, ask yourself what about John's behavior is maladaptive. That is, in what way is it damaging to him, to the firm, to the associate and to other associates who witness it?</p> <p>This loss hurts John in many ways.</p> <p>At a pragmatic level, he has to constantly retrain new people, and he's without a loyal following that will rally to his support if he's in a bind. Associates criticize him behind his back, and everyone avoids working with him.</p> <p>John's behavior erodes the bottom line and damages the corporate culture. Those who have options vote with their feet, sometimes taking clients with them. The firm's reputation suffers, and recruitment becomes harder.</p> <p>The deleterious consequences of doing nothing are apparent, but ask yourself a seemingly bizarre question: What about these ostensibly maladaptive behaviors is adaptive?</p> <p>Given the damaging nature of the behavior, why is it allowed to persist, unbridled? Who are the beneficiaries of his behavior? How do you benefit from his behavior? How does the firm benefit? How does John benefit?</p> <p>You may be a beneficiary, albeit an inadvertent one. As long as John is acting highhanded, the heat's off you. The associates aren't criticizing you because whatever your limitations, they could not be worse than his.</p> <p>If John is a partner, then, he undoubtedly contributes something to the firm, something the firm could lose if his misdemeanors aren't addressed diplomatically. Beyond this, John's misdeeds obscure the more subtle conflicts that occur between partners and between partners and associates.</p> <p>Thus, John's behavior allows everyone to be a little less accountable. For subordinates, John's behavior serves as a distraction and a justification for not working their hardest.</p> <p>And how does ignoring John's misbehaviors benefit him? In the workplace, it allows him to remain unaccountable and in denial about how powerless and inept he feels.</p> <p><b>Problem solved</b><p> <p>If the partners have the courage to deal honestly with the dysfunctional situation, the firm will be stronger and the "problem" partner will have an improved sense of well-being.</p> <p>Partners who've relied on John to "look bad" so they can "look good" will be forced to develop more realistic ways of enhancing their self-esteem. With improved morale, associates are likely to work harder and feel better about their workplace.</p> <p>How does a corporation go about addressing these difficulties?</p> <p>In an ideal world, the senior partners have effective policies and practices for these sorts of challenges. But this is not always the case, especially, when a member of the senior leadership is part of the problem.<p> <p>Sometimes an organization's human resources department can help. In more delicate situations, an outside executive coach can help the organization's leadership design and implement a sound strategy.</p> <p><b>This article, <a href="http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2006/02/27/smallb3.html?t=printable" target="new window"> To erase corporate dysfunction, assess and address by Dr. Lynn Friedman, clinical psychologist, psychoanalyst and work-life consultant, is reprinted with permission from the Washington Business Journal.</a> (Find the original article here.)</p> <p><i><a href="http://www.drlynnfriedman.com/about.html" target="new window">Lynn Friedman is a clinical psychologist, psychoanalyst and executive coach</a> in Chevy Chase. She is on the associate faculty in the Organizational Development/Human Resource Management Program at Johns Hopkins University.</i> </font> </td></tr> </table> </p> </font> <!-- End of text page --> <!-- Body of Text Begins Here --> <p align=center> <table cellpadding=5 cellspacing=0 border=1 width=700> <tr><td valign=top bgcolor="#dddddd"><FONT SIZE="3" FACE="verdana, arial, helvetica"> <b><a href="http://www.drlynnfriedman.com/about.html"target="_blank">Connect with Dr. Lynn Friedman, psychoanalyst, psychologist, work-life coach</b></font> </td></tr> <tr><td valign=top><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="verdana, arial, helvetica"> <i>Dr. Lynn Friedman provides organizational consultation and works with professionals and professionals-in-the-making to help them to achieve their work-life goals. </i> <li>Is your career off-track? Are you unhappy at work? Do you find it impossible to follow through on the suggestions of career books and coaches? <a href="http://www.drlynnfriedman.com/careerassessment.pdf" target="_blank">Download Dr. Lynn Friedman's pdf file </a> examining the kinds of help that might be useful.</p> <li><a href="http://www.drlynnfriedman.com/about.html" target="_blank">If you'd like to schedule an appointment</a> with Dr. Lynn Friedman, feel free to give her a call at: 301-656-9650 <li><a href="feed://drlynnfriedman.typepad.com/dr_lynn_friedmans_blog_al/index.rdf">Subscribe to Dr. Lynn Friedman's blog feed, "All Things Psychoanalytic"</a></font> <li><a href="http://www.corporationsonthecouch.com" target="_blank">Corporations on the Couch</a> Read Dr. Lynn Friedman's monthly, Washington Business Journal, column on understanding workplace dynamics. <li>For your questions about relationships, psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, check out Dr. Lynn Friedman's new website, <a href="http://www.washingtonpsychoanalyst.com" target="_blank"> The Washington Psychoanalyst.</a></li> </font> </td></tr> </table> </p> </font> <!-- End of text page --> <!-- Body of Text Begins Here --> <p align=center> <table cellpadding=5 cellspacing=0 border=1 width=700> <tr><td valign=top bgcolor="#dddddd"><FONT SIZE="3" FACE="verdana, arial, helvetica"> <b>Would you like to read, "Corporations on the Couch" in your home town? <a href="http://www.corporationsonthecouch.com"target_blank></td></tr> <tr><td valign=top><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="verdana, arial, helvetica"> <li><a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/subscription/index.html?market=washington" target="_blank">Working in Washington, D.C.? Subscribe here.</a> <li>Would you like to read, Corporations on the Couch, in your locale? It's nationally syndicated. Contact your local editor and request it. <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/" target="_blank"> Find your market here.</a> </ul> </font> </td></tr> </table> <!-- Body of Text Begins Here --> <p align=center> <table cellpadding=5 cellspacing=0 border=1 width=700> <tr><td valign=top bgcolor="#dddddd"><FONT SIZE="3" FACE="verdana, arial, helvetica"> <b>People who read this article also enjoyed these columns by <a href="http://www.drlynnfriedman.com/about.html"target="_blank">Dr. Lynn Friedman, psychoanalyst, psychologist and work-life coach.</a></b></font> </td></tr> <tr><td valign=top><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="verdana, arial, helvetica"> <li><a href="http://www.drlynnfriedman.com/corporationsonthecouchreversedelegation.html" target="_blank">Don't let your subordinates delegate work to you</a> <li><a href="http://www.drlynnfriedman.com/corporationsonthecouchretiringinplace.html"target="_blank">Retiring in Place may point to management issues</a> </ul> </font> </td></tr> </table> <br><br> <!-- Main heading bar --> <table COLS=1 WIDTH="100%" cellspacing="1" border="0"> <td BGCOLOR="navy"><font face="Arial,Helvetica" color=purple size=+2></font></td> </tr> </table> <br><br> <a name="1"> <hr noshade size=1> <center> &copy; &nbsp; <i> Copyright © 2006 Lynn Friedman, Ph.D. All rights reserved. </i></center> <font size="-3"> <p>This material is copyrighted. This blog is offered as a community service. You may transmit them free-of-charge. Feel free to forward these columns to anyone who you think might be interested, so long as not a single word is changed, added or deleted, inlcuding contact information. However, I ask that you adhere to copyright laws by providing, along with any column, all attached copyright information. It is a violation of copyright law to copy this column for commercial use and/or financial gain, to cut-and-paste this column or to use it without appropriate citation. I'll be glad to send these columns to anyone else who sends me email asking to be added to the dlist. While I invite you to link to this site, you may NOT reprint the material on a web site without my express written permission. Reprint permission will be freely granted, upon request, to student newspapers, universities and other non-profit educational organizations. Beyond this, advance written permission must be obtained prior to reprinting any of this material in modified or altered form. Thank you for your consideration.</p> <p>A final word, nothing published in this blog should be construed as a substitute for clinical, consultative or supervisory advice. If you have a mental health concern, or require consultation or supervision, please seek a consultation from a knowledgeable, well-trained, clinician. If it is an emergency seek treatment at your local emergency room.</p> <p><font face="times" size=-3><font size="-3"> </font></p> </center></font> <br><br></p> <c>Copyright Lynn Friedman, Ph.D. (2005)</c> </td> </tr> <!-- Below enter recommended readings. --> <tr> <td>&nbsp;</td> </tr> <tr> <td> <span class="text_2"> </span> </td> </tr> </span> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>&nbsp;</td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </body> </html>