MYTHS TO WORK BY
Unlock the Hidden Operating System of Your Workplace and Transform Your Career.
Feel like invisible forces shape your workplace beyond just strategies and org charts? This book unveils the living mythology driving every organization.
Inspired by Joseph Campbell's revolutionary Myths to Live By, The Organizational Myth: Finding Meaning and Navigating Complexity Through Campbell's Lens applies his timeless wisdom to today's complex work environments. Learn how ancient narratives, powerful archetypes, and symbolic rituals actively, often unconsciously, influence your company's culture, leadership effectiveness, response to change, and even your personal search for meaning at work.
Organizations, regardless of size or industry, are vibrant mythic systems. This groundbreaking guide provides a comprehensive framework to understand and consciously engage these often-unseen forces.
Journey Through the Mythic Landscape of Your Organization:
- Part 1: The Enduring Power of Myth: Grounds you in Joseph Campbell's core concepts – the four vital functions of myth, the universal structure of the Hero's Journey as a map for transformation, and key workplace archetypes (Ruler, Hero, Sage, Caregiver, etc.) that shape our experiences.
- Part 2: The Modern Labyrinth – Mythic Patterns in Organizations: Takes you deep into your own workplace, applying these mythic lenses to decode its unique "corporate cosmology" (mission, vision, origin stories), its "social order" (culture, unwritten rules, power dynamics), how individuals seek psychological meaning, the impact of the hidden "Organizational Shadow," and the symbolic power of rituals and spaces.
- Part 3: Charting the Course – Working With Organizational Myths: Shifts from understanding to practical action. Learn to diagnose your organization’s unique myths, lead with narrative intelligence and archetypal awareness, guide transformation by "reforging the myth," and consciously navigate your own career quest for authentic meaning and purpose.
By reading The Organizational Myth, you will gain the tools to:
- Decode Workplace Dynamics: Understand the unwritten rules and hidden power structures.
- Deepen Cultural Understanding: See beyond surface behaviors to the underlying myths shaping culture.
- Lead with Impact: Inspire teams and shape culture ethically using narrative and archetype.
- Navigate Change Effectively: Frame and guide transformation as a meaningful journey.
- Identify & Address Toxicity: Recognize and understand the Organizational Shadow and its impact.
- Craft a Meaningful Career: Align your personal values with your work, transforming your career into a conscious quest.
- Enhance Resilience: Draw strength from mythic frameworks to navigate uncertainty.
Who is this book for?
The Organizational Myth is essential for leaders building engaged and humane organizations; managers motivating teams; HR professionals and consultants designing resonant interventions; coaches guiding individuals; and anyone seeking deeper meaning, purpose, and authenticity in their work life.
It's time to look beyond the org chart, understand the invisible forces at play, and consciously engage with the myths you live by at work. This book is your guide to navigating the modern labyrinth as an empowered participant, capable of shaping a more meaningful future.
Stop being shaped by the organizational myth. Start working with it.