Dr Nick Waggett

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 ...

Manchester United men’s team have been struggling this season including two successive 3-0 home defeats. Inevitably, there is talk of the manager Erik ten Hag’s position being under threat unless he oversees an upturn in results. In his first season in charge, United won the League (Carabao) Cup and finished third in the Premier League to earn a return to the Champions League. So what has gone wrong this season? Reading the reports in the papers, and thinking about it as someone who works with organizational dynamics, a few things jumped out. Fresh legs – Ten Hag has brought players over from his former club Ajax who are not performing well and this has led people to question his decision-making or ‘smarts’. It is understandable that he might want to have players he feels he can trust and who have performed for him before, but I wonder what this communicated to the existing United players. Trying to replicate a ‘formula’ or even re-create the same team in a new context is unlikely to ...