Unearthing gold from the mud: alchemy and organizational tensions

ABSTRACT

Organizational tensions are overwhelmingly considered problems to be solved promptly, because they disrupt a rightful order and impede the normal flow of effective practice, production and service. I propose to look at organizational tensions through a more holistic and spiritually infused lens. The discussion is articulated around a core question: from a symbolic and spiritual viewpoint, how do we make sense of and how can we handle the inevitable tensions that fuel organizational life? Following the work of C.G. Jung, I identify tensions as opportunities for soulful learning and as synchronistic opportunities which point toward a chance at awakening something latent in our self. I outline how the complex and artful practice of alchemy offers a process of meaning-making of tensions in organizational life that is both systematic and creative, allowing a deeper understanding of what transformation entails, what shapes it can take, and how we can be present to it.

KEYWORDS:

• Archetypes
• Jung
• soul
• consciousness
• spirituality
• conflict management

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Cécile Rozuel

Cécile Rozuel is an Assistant Professor at the Providence School of Transformative Leadership and Spirituality, Saint Paul University in Canada. Her research focuses on understanding the conscious and unconscious dynamics of the psyche and its hidden potentialities through the lens of C.G. Jung’s Analytical Psychology. She is especially interested in the moral dimension of the psyche, spirituality and well-being at work, the value of imagination, psycho-somatic and soulful experiences, and meaningfulness.