Dr Nick Waggett

World Mental Health Day 2024: How can we prioritise mental health in the workplace? Mental health is sometimes thought of as what people bring with them into the workplace. As a result, support mechanisms such as counselling, yoga and time-out of work, are orientated to the individual and their difficulties. However, for many, it is the workplace itself which is the source or aggravator of their stress and poor mental health.  Many jobs are, by their very nature, high pressure and stressful, whether this is in high-stakes commercial firms or public services working with distressed and ill people. This may be unavoidable, but it doesn’t mean that steps can’t be taken to support the people in these roles and mitigate against the work leading to illness, burnout and high staff turnover – none of which are in the interests of either the individual or the organisation.  Instead of workplace mental health being individualised as a personal problem, it needs to be addressed systemica...

A couple of weeks ago my phone and wallet were stolen from my bag which I had left unattended. Beyond the initial shock, what most affected me was the helplessness I felt without any means of payment or communication. I initially couldn’t think how I would get home. Fortunately, I was helped out by colleagues and when I got home was able to use my wife’s phone to cancel my bank cards and block the phone.   It took nearly 10 days to replace the phone and get up and running again. I quickly discovered how difficult it is t o do anything online without a phone ( like trying to buy a phone !) because of  two-factor authentication. Given my interest in how technology mediates our relationships , organisations and societies , this has been an instructive experience. What have I learned ?   Firstly, the initial feeling of helplessness is important to note. This suggests a high degree of dependency, not only in practical terms but also emotionally. I was fully invested in...

Why are individuals or teams sometimes unable to communicate effectively with each other and often seem to be pulling in opposite directions? It might be that they have a different organisation-in-the-mind . The use of drawings to elicit the organisation-in-the-mind (OIM) of individuals and teams is one of my favourite consultancy techniques. I recommend it as an approach to manifesting what people think and feel about the institution they are part of. As with other visual methods , drawing is a way in which the hidden and ‘beneath the surface’ can be made visible and thought about. This is helpful in organisations that are struggling, but also in successful teams who need to innovate and adapt. By making the OIM visible, it is possible to gain an understanding of the dilemmas, challenges and conflicts that can arise due to differences in the internal working model each person has of their organisation, team, service or company.     What each person experiences as b...

How can we support frontline staff to better manage the anxiety associated with difficult or complex tasks, and therefore provide effective and compassionate services? The concept of concentric circles of containment is one way of visualizing how this can be achieved. First introduced by Claudia McLoughlin, the model shows how anxieties and stressors originating from the nature of the work can be held and thought about at each level of the organization. All types of work can be the source of both satisfaction and frustration. Work can be stressful because of the inherent nature of the task or because it is badly organised. Or both! One of the functions of leaders is to help staff to manage the anxieties associated with their work, whether this is in high-pressure commercial settings or frontline public services. If the task itself involves working for customers or clients who have complex needs, or whose ways of relating to others are perhaps chaotic and disturbing, then there is ...

A factor in current organizational and social turbulence is rapid technological change   I am sharing the text of an article I wrote for publication in 2018 but then withdrew (long story). I am working on a new (different, better) article so sharing this version in case anyone is interested in the findings of my doctoral thesis - but doesn't want to read the whole thing! I think the paper has continued relevance today and adds to discussions about our 'entanglement' with new technologies including AI. The focus is on human services (health, social care, education etc.) but my view is that similar processes operate in all kinds of organizations and in wider society.  The paper aims to develop theory and practice in systems-psychodynamics in relation to the role of technology within the organization of work. It argues for the importance of technology as a significant actor within, and mediator of, human processes in the 21st Century.   It is proposed that leaders ...

What is the one thing that your organisation (company, team, service) must do in order to survive and thrive? Is that what you are actually doing?   Most people working in an organisation, or leading it, will be familiar with the feeling of having to do too much with too little resources. Phrases such as ‘having to keep all the balls in the air’ and ‘I need to keep all the plates spinning’ suggest a person juggling multiple tasks, responsibilities, or commitments simultaneously. This is stressful for the individual or team and often not very effective as it is hard to determine which of the ‘plates’ is the priority and therefore deserves greater time or resources. Prioritization is crucial to effective planning and clarity on which tasks are likely to produce most gains is important for job satisfaction.   When we are in the middle of a whirl of competing demands, or facing deadlines and targets, it can feel impossible to determine what is most important. Most likely w...