Elliott Jaques
Encyclopedia
Elliott Jaques was a Canadian
psychoanalyst and organizational psychologist. He developed the notion of requisite organization
from his 'stratified systems theory', running counter to many others in the field of organizational development. Although he is most widely known for developing the concept of 'social systems as defense against unconscious anxiety' (Jaques, 1951) which shed light on the close relationship between organizational task (i.e. the main aim of an organization, such as to produce, cure, etc.) and unconscious group dynamics and how each can aid or distort the other. Jaques' ideas are still very influential in the psychoanalytic study of organizations.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Jaques was educated at University of Toronto
and studied medicine at Johns Hopkins University
before receiving his Ph.D in social relations from Harvard University
. During World War II
, he moved to England where he remained after the war, studying under British psychoanalyst Melanie Klein
. He was a founding member, in 1946, of the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations. In 1964, he founded the School of Social Sciences at Brunel University
where he became a professor and head of the school, and of its Research Institute of Organisational Studies.
The concept of the mid-life crisis
was introduced by Jaques in 1965.
His development approach to organizational development makes him one of the early contributors to Positive Adult Development
.
He died in Gloucester, Massachusetts
in 2003.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
psychoanalyst and organizational psychologist. He developed the notion of requisite organization
Requisite organization
Requisite organization is a concept in organization development developed by Elliott Jaques.Requisite organization is a unified whole system model for effective managerial leadership...
from his 'stratified systems theory', running counter to many others in the field of organizational development. Although he is most widely known for developing the concept of 'social systems as defense against unconscious anxiety' (Jaques, 1951) which shed light on the close relationship between organizational task (i.e. the main aim of an organization, such as to produce, cure, etc.) and unconscious group dynamics and how each can aid or distort the other. Jaques' ideas are still very influential in the psychoanalytic study of organizations.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Jaques was educated at University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
and studied medicine at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
before receiving his Ph.D in social relations from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he moved to England where he remained after the war, studying under British psychoanalyst Melanie Klein
Melanie Klein
Melanie Reizes Klein was an Austrian-born British psychoanalyst who devised novel therapeutic techniques for children that had an impact on child psychology and contemporary psychoanalysis...
. He was a founding member, in 1946, of the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations. In 1964, he founded the School of Social Sciences at Brunel University
Brunel University
Brunel University is a public research university located in Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom. The university is named after the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel....
where he became a professor and head of the school, and of its Research Institute of Organisational Studies.
The concept of the mid-life crisis
Mid-life crisis
Midlife crisis is a term coined in 1965 by Elliott Jaques and used in Western societies to describe a period of dramatic self-doubt that is felt by some individuals in the "middle years" or middle age of life, as a result of sensing the passing of their own youth and the imminence of their old age...
was introduced by Jaques in 1965.
His development approach to organizational development makes him one of the early contributors to Positive Adult Development
Positive Adult Development
Positive Adult Development is one of the four major forms of adult developmental study that can be identified. The other three forms are directionless change, stasis, and decline...
.
He died in Gloucester, Massachusetts
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Gloucester is a city on Cape Ann in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is part of Massachusetts' North Shore. The population was 28,789 at the 2010 U.S. Census...
in 2003.
Publications
- The Changing Culture of a Factory: A Study of Authority and Participation in an Industrial Setting (London: Tavistock, 1951)
- Measurement Of Responsibility: A study of work, payment, and individual capacity (Tavistock, 1956) [Reprinted as ISBN 041526443X]
- Equitable Payment: A General Theory of Work, Differential Payment, and Individual Progress (London: Heinemann, 1961)
- Equitable Payment (London: Heinemann, 1963)
- Time-Span Handbook: the Use of Time-Span of Discretion to Measure the Level of Work in Employment Roles and to Arrange an Equitable Payment Structure (London, Heinemann, 1964)
- Product Analysis Pricing: A method for setting policies for the delegation of pricing decisions and the control of expense and profitability (Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Press, 1964) [with Wilfred BrownWilfred Banks Duncan Brown, Baron of MachrihanishWilfred Banks Duncan Brown, Baron Brown MBE was Chairman and Managing Director of Glacier Metal Company , author of several books and articles on management and labour issues, university administrator, and United Kingdom's Minister of State at the Board of Trade .Brown is perhaps best known for...
] - Glacier Project Papers (London: Heinemann Educational, 1965) [with Wilfred BrownWilfred Banks Duncan Brown, Baron of MachrihanishWilfred Banks Duncan Brown, Baron Brown MBE was Chairman and Managing Director of Glacier Metal Company , author of several books and articles on management and labour issues, university administrator, and United Kingdom's Minister of State at the Board of Trade .Brown is perhaps best known for...
] ISBN 0435851020 - "Death and the Midlife Crisis", International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 1965.
- Work, creativity, and social justice (London: Heinemann Educational, 1970) ISBN 0435854798
- A General Theory of Bureaucracy (London: Heinemann Educational, 1976) ISBN 0435824732
- Health Services (London: Heinemann Educational, 1978) ISBN 0435824740
- Levels of Abstraction in Logic and Human Action: A theory of discontinuity in the structure of mathematical logic, psychological behaviour, and social organisation. (London: Heinemann Educational, 1978) with R.O. Gibson and D.J. Isaac [Editors]
- Executive Leadership: A Practical Guide to Managing Complexity (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 1994) ISBN 0631193138 [with Stephen D. Clement and Ronnie Lessem]
- Human Capability: Study of Individual Potential and Its Application (London: Gower, 1994) ISBN 0566076527 [with Kathryn Cason]
- Requisite Organization: Total System for Effective Managerial Organization and Managerial Leadership for the 21st Century (London: Gower, 1997) ISBN 0566079402
- La Organizacion Requerida: Un Sistema Integrado Para Crear Organizaciones Eficaces y Aplicar el Liderazgo Gerencial en el Siglo XXI (Ediciones Granica, S.A., 2000) ISBN 9506413037
- Social Power and the CEO: Leadership and Trust in a Sustainable Free Enterprise System (Greenwood, 2002) ISBN 1567205518
- The Life and Behavior of Living Organisms: A General Theory (Greenwood, 2002) ISBN 0275975010