The Formation of Shadow in Individuals
According to Carl Jung, the Swiss Psychiatrist, shadow is that aspect of one's psyche that is created through the process of human development and socialization. We are born as unconscious undifferentiated creatures lacking any sense of identity separate from our caregivers.
As we become more conscious and simultaneously begin to develop an individual identity, we develop ego (“I”) and a persona (our public identity). As the sense of separateness and independence continues to grow, so does the exertion of our will – what we need, want and desire. When the will is expressed, caregivers and the external environment respond to it. If our basic needs are met and fulfilled, we develop a core of security and trust that permits us to become more independent as well as more forceful in exerting our will.
The mediation between the expression of will and the limits imposed on it by the environment is ongoing. We learn around the age of two that we are not the universe or its sole occupant and that we must consider the needs, wants and desires of others. We also begin to learn that some of our behavior gets us what we want and some of the behavior doesn't.
We learn what is unacceptable and what is acceptable, and we adapt. In this interaction between the internal and the external needs and demands, our sense of self and our character are formed and shaped. We learn what we can express and what aspects of who we are, and what we think and feel are appropriate in certain circumstances and situations. Those aspects of the self that are not deemed acceptable or that have been ignored or denied become repressed. The repressed parts of ourselves become unconscious and form the shadow.
The shadow is real and is a source of considerable energy and power. It is a vital part of the psyche. Marie Von Frantz, Jungian analyst and author, likens it to “a wild horse” that the rider can never fully tame but must find a way to befriend and manage in order to not be thrown off.
The most dangerous thing human beings do is deny that shadow exists; denial only strengthens its power and increases the chance of it erupting in a destructive manner and throwing the rider “like a wild horse”. We have many past and current examples of this in leaders whose illustrious careers have ended in scandal because of behavior that is found to be shocking to their friends and colleagues.
Much of the life's journey of becoming a whole person is the work of learning how to reintegrate those aspects of ourselves that have been stored or stuffed in the recesses of our psyche. The Inner Work of the Leader© is one way to provide leaders with the self-discipline of engaging in integrative work that helps this recovery process to occur successfully.
Organizational Shadow
Just as individuals have both public and private aspects of their being; organizations also have internal and external aspects that have been formed and shaped their culture over time. Like individuals, organizations have a narrative.
Their experiences over time have been responded to in ways that have taught them what to do under certain circumstances, and what is acceptable and unacceptable in order to survive. What the organization learns is integrated internally and is reflected in its assumptions and behavior.
Edgar Schein defines culture as a pattern of shared basic assumptions learned by a group as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration. We agree with his assertion that culture is to a group what personality or character is to an individual. The aspects of organizational culture are visible and invisible.
Like an individual, an organization publicly projects an ideal image of itself, and those aspects of its culture that are deemed as unacceptable are repressed and become part of the organization's shadow. And because shadow is real, and ignoring it only serves to empower it, organizations can influenced, and at times overcome by, shadow energy.
For example, in organizations in which conflict is not acceptable, denial and repression of differences becomes the norm and leads to avoidance of conflict. The causes of conflict remain and those within the organization can't learn the adaptive skills needed to resolve conflict because it can't be acknowledged. Considerable effort and energy may be expended to keep any differences from occurring or to avoid issues that might lead to conflict. The reasons and precipitants for conflict remain but the shadow becomes a tinder box of unresolved anger and hurt that can be quickly ignited, bringing about the very thing that was feared- a situation that is out of control and destructive.
Examples of shadow in organizations are over polite behavior in meetings in which nothing of substance gets discussed; an emotional overreaction to an issue, or extreme defensiveness; a pattern of dull and predictable meetings, during which the designated leader drones through an agenda with information overload; meetings in which no one in the group speaks or shares an opinion that differs from that of the leader.
Organizational norms regarding conflict management reflect organizational attitudes about shadow. If it is deemed to be important to be nice and pleasant in communications and “not nice” thoughts or honest feelings are not acceptable problems may not be identified at all or will be stated in such a way that won't allow for their constructive resolution.
Companies sometimes spend millions of dollars annually helping employees learn to deal with the symptoms of shadow without getting into the underlying causes and content within the shadow. Repression and suppression of shadow is energy consuming, and reduces creativity and productivity in the organization.
Many executives have been derailed by organizational shadow because in assuming the leadership role they accepted the responsibility of “keeping the lid on” organizational conflicts and potentially divisive issues rather than helping those in the culture acknowledge and confront their existence.
In one organization the employees refused to provide their boss with what he needed to know to make the best decision about a major and costly initiative under consideration. When asked why they were keeping their thoughts and judgments from him, they replied, “He already knows it all.” This response when probed more deeply revealed that the real issue was the top/down structure that appeared to value those in higher level positions but diminished the contributions of those at the lower levels.
The so called “subordinates” were the people essential to the success of the company but many felt devalued. The privilege and power of upper management had come to be perceived as entitlement and arrogance, and served to reinforce the feeling of inferiority subordinates felt. The relationships between management and employees were not discussed because those who had raised concerns in the past had been labeled as “troublemakers”. The CEO and upper management's narrative characterized everyone as “members of the team,” but the reality differed. The risk of being open and honest was too high so employee's repressed their feelings and the creativity and the irresolution of conflict became part of the shadow.
The Shadow's Potential
Significant organizational change will always unleash the shadow within and if the organization has acknowledged that it exists, and has learned how to respond to it, the proposed changes will occur faster and with much less negative impact. Making the shadow conscious and integrating what has contributed to drag and storm quickens the pace of change and helps to solidify it.
It has the potential to reinvigorate an organization's culture when the leadership has the courage to embrace shadow and the opportunities that it brings for building competency and increasing the capacity to deal with adaptive challenges. This capacity will be the distinguishing difference between a good or great organization.
Leaders are the architects of culture; this is their primary role according to Edgar Schein. This means that a primary responsibility of leadership is ongoing cultural assessment and an awareness of and attention to the conscious and the unconscious, aspects of the organization's life.
This is the inner work of organizations if it wants to be healthy. The greater the leader's awareness of their own shadow and that of their organization's, the greater their ability to be creative and innovative; and the greater potential there will be to operate with integrity and to engender trustworthiness – essential qualities for survival.
Katherine Tyler Scott is the managing partner of Ki ThoughtBridge. Katherine is the founder and former President of Trustee Leadership Development, Inc., a resource center for governance leaders and not-for-profit organizations, located in Indianapolis, Indiana. She has more than 30 years of experience in leadership education and development, consultation, coaching and facilitation. Katherine is a nationally recognized speaker and has written extensively on the topics of leadership, trusteeship, organizational development, and change work.