Theory and Practice of Executive Consultation: Case Illustration in a Research Laboratory Setting

Abstract

Executive and organizational development is among the most fertile areas for applied psychoanalysis. This has led many mental health providers to consider transition to business consultation, including executive coaching, as way of diversifying their practices and extending their clinical work. To illustrate the theoretical and technical underpinnings of a psychoanalytic approach to executive role consultation, a case from the author's specialized practice is presented in detail. The case focuses on transference–countertransference; defenses and compromise; unconscious motivation; and the coconstruction of a reflective, analytic process between client and consultant. The theoretical and technical features that influence the course and progress of consultative work are highlighted. The need to attend simultaneously to psychoanalytic principles and practical concerns of the executive and his or her corporate work environment, and the challenges this task presents, is emphasized. The consultative approach exemplified here that draws on the strengths and utility from all facets of psychoanalytic thinking can demonstrate clear-cut benefits for workplace performance.

Acknowledgments

I thank Annette Clancy, William Czander, Ken Eisold, Clare Huffington, James Krantz, Steven Rolfe, and Edward Schnoor for helpful discussions and Helen Fox for editorial assistance.

Notes

¹An excellent introductory bibliography may be found at http://www.ispso.org/The%20Field/ISPSO%20Bibliography%202nd%20Edition%204-2007.pdf

²The names, circumstances, and demographics of in this case have been changed in the interest of preserving privacy and confidentiality.

³Scope and space considerations preclude an exploration of Jungian, Gestalt, Lacanian, or other psychoanalytically derived approaches to this case.

⁴In executive work, typically the firm underwrites the consultation. Presumably, the organization as a whole stands to gain from the increased productivity of the employee, particularly if they have supervisory responsibility. Recently, I encountered two consecutive clients who expressed a preference for paying out-of-pocket, despite the higher than normal fees compared with going rates for psychotherapy locally. A good deal of the work in both cases centered around who actually would benefit and was it ethical to become more marketable via the resource my consultation represented. Ultimately, both saw the appropriateness of benefiting from this perquisite once they were able to work though their ambivalence about their companies' leadership and whether the position they were in suited them.