THE INCONSOLABLE ORGANIZATION: TOWARD A THEORY OF ORGANIZATIONAL AND CULTURAL CHANGE

A new metaphor and concept is proposed to comprehend massive organizational change where the inability to mourn prevails: "inconsolable organization." The group psychodynamics of this process are explored, in part with the aid of the work of Yiannis Gabriel on the concept of "organizational miasma." Three vignettes are used to "flesh out" the idea of an inconsolable organization. A tentative model is proposed, one that situates organizational inconsolability relative to other dimensions of adaptation to traumatic change. Recommendations are offered for assisting organizations in these circumstances.