Virtuous spirits and vicious demons: ghost stories of organizational change

ABSTRACT

This paper explores the manifestation of demons in the organization through autoethnographic reflection from a leadership perspective. It is proposed that demons arise from liminal situations; gaps and transitions between and within organizations and their social groupings. The context is that of a university library and three types of change: in a partnership, in a project, and in strategic transformation. Vignettes are presented to illuminate how demons arise, how the rage manifested can be exorcized by leadership identification and facilitation of more virtuous practice, and the resulting positive development of constructive working relationships. Organizational virtue theory is used as an interpretive framework, and the application of phronetic wisdom as a source for pragmatic methods of exorcism to counter demonic possession.

KEYWORDS:

• Change
• demons
• exorcism
• libraries
• liminality
• phronesis

Acknowledgments

I would particularly like to thank the three reviewers and the Special Issue editors whose comments and support have substantially improved and strengthened this paper. All remaining defects are mine. The people of the University Library & Archives, University of York 2007–2015, for sharing their opinions and views. Capita, Elementa Leadership, and ORC International for survey instruments and data. The Association of Research Libraries, its members, and Martha Kyrillidou, for the ClimateQUAL+ survey, shared data, and advice.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).