Overview

In the context of global economic recession, fear has become institutionalized in many organizations, both in the private and public sectors. Board directors are under pressure from shareholders, senior executives are attempting to maintain sales in a nervous market and many people are concerned about job security and maintaining their living standards. The Psychology of Fear in Organizations shows how fear manifests itself in large organizations, how it impacts on the workforce and how by reducing our willingness to take risks and to innovate, it can inhibit economic growth and innovation, at both an individual and corporate level. The Psychology of Fear in Organizations examines the psychological barriers to innovation and presents initiatives to loosen the paralysis caused by the economic downturn. It presents psychological theory in an accessible way to provide a better understanding of the needs and fears of people and how they can be supported to improve productivity and innovation. Online supporting resources include lecture slides on how to harness fear to fuel innovation.

Full Product Details

Author:   Sheila Keegan
Publisher:   Kogan Page Ltd
Imprint:   Kogan Page Ltd
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 1.70cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.443kg
ISBN:  

9780749472542

ISBN 10:   0749472545
Pages:   288
Publication Date:   03 February 2015
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Section - ONE: The nature of fear and how it shapes organizations; Chapter - 01: The paradox of fear; Chapter - 02: The cultural backdrop of fear; Chapter - 03: Perspectives on fear; Chapter - 04: Cultures of fear within organizations; Chapter - 05: Feeling fear at work; Chapter - 06: Over-control and manipulation in the workplace; Chapter - 07: Organizations in crisis; Section - TWO: How we can harness fear to improve productivity and organizational health through promoting human values; Chapter - 08: Being human; Chapter - 09: Creating psychologically healthy workplaces; Chapter - 10: Leadership and appreciative inquiry; Chapter - 11: Developing resilience; Chapter - 12: Building trust within organizations; Chapter - 13: The power of language; Chapter - 14: Building a culture of innovation; Chapter - 15: What about the future?

Reviews

Sheila Keegan provides a wide-ranging and incisive treatment of this very taboo subject. She questions many current organization practices, including goal setting, and shows how these can easily result in fear and dysfunctional performance. The practical approaches she provides for reducing fear in organizations will provide real value to managers and HR professionals alike. --Michael Wellin Director at Business Transformation consultants This book is a major contribution to productivity. Why? Because fear is the number one enemy of creativity and without creativity there is no innovation. The anxious mind is rigid and limited as it seeks to solve problems in more or less the same way, time and time again. How can that be good for business? --Chris Welford Director of Sixth Sense Consulting This book is a very accessible exploration of important organisational phenomena that usually attract very little attention. The author draws our attention to the strong link between fear and control, arguing that fear is rooted in the modern obsession with control. This book is essential reading for anyone who takes organisational improvement seriously. --Professor Ralph Stacey University of Hertfordshire Whatever the root of fear at the workplace, high-quality leadership -- which sees employees as humans, trusts them to be professional and empowers them -- seems to be necessary to ensure that such fear does not compromise innovation and productivity. I hope that leaders of academic/corporate organizations read this book and ponder about the environments they are creating at the workplace. --Professor Ranjini Swamy Goa Institute of Management This is a digestible, erudite and impassioned consideration of where we are in the modern world of work and where we might look for ways to make the future more enjoyable and productive. --Peter Llewellyn Consultant in people management and workplace mediator This is a valuable book that brings together a lot of information and insight, and it will be useful to researchers, educators, and evidence-based practitioners alike. --David Yamada Minding the Workplace This book should be read by everyone who has anything to do with managing organizations. It is soundly based in history, the literature and personal experience. Keegan not only describes and explains the increase of fear in organizations but also suggests how to reduce it so that everyone can be happier and more productive. --Emeritus Professor Malcolm Haper Cranfield University

This book is a major contribution to productivity. Why? Because fear is the number one enemy of creativity and without creativity there is no innovation. The anxious mind is rigid and limited as it seeks to solve problems in more or less the same way, time and time again. How can that be good for business? --Chris Welford Director of Sixth Sense Consulting

This is a digestible, erudite and impassioned consideration of where we are in the modern world of work and where we might look for ways to make the future more enjoyable and productive. --Peter Llewellyn Consultant in people management and workplace mediator Sheila Keegan provides a wide-ranging and incisive treatment of this very taboo subject. She questions many current organization practices, including goal setting, and shows how these can easily result in fear and dysfunctional performance. The practical approaches she provides for reducing fear in organizations will provide real value to managers and HR professionals alike. --Michael Wellin Director at Business Transformation consultants Whatever the root of fear at the workplace, high-quality leadership -- which sees employees as humans, trusts them to be professional and empowers them -- seems to be necessary to ensure that such fear does not compromise innovation and productivity. I hope that leaders of academic/corporate organizations read this book and ponder about the environments they are creating at the workplace. --Professor Ranjini Swamy Goa Institute of Management This book is a very accessible exploration of important organisational phenomena that usually attract very little attention. The author draws our attention to the strong link between fear and control, arguing that fear is rooted in the modern obsession with control. This book is essential reading for anyone who takes organisational improvement seriously. --Professor Ralph Stacey University of Hertfordshire This book is a major contribution to productivity. Why? Because fear is the number one enemy of creativity and without creativity there is no innovation. The anxious mind is rigid and limited as it seeks to solve problems in more or less the same way, time and time again. How can that be good for business? --Chris Welford Director of Sixth Sense Consulting This is a valuable book that brings together a lot of information and insight, and it will be useful to researchers, educators, and evidence-based practitioners alike. --David Yamada Minding the Workplace This book should be read by everyone who has anything to do with managing organizations. It is soundly based in history, the literature and personal experience. Keegan not only describes and explains the increase of fear in organizations but also suggests how to reduce it so that everyone can be happier and more productive. --Emeritus Professor Malcolm Haper Cranfield University

Author Information

Dr Sheila Keegan is a Chartered Psychologist and has a doctorate in organizational change. In 1983, she co-founded Campbell Keegan Ltd, a business psychology consultancy working in the private and public sectors. An organizational consultant and qualitative researcher for more than 25 years, she helps clients in the private and public sectors to make better decisions in the areas of business strategy, social policy and organizational change management. She is a Fellow of the Market Research Society and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society.

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