Injuries and collective trauma dynamics in the workplace
Individual trauma now seems well-known to the general public. There is an abundant flow of books on this topic and authors like Gabor Maté draw full houses. This has everything to do with recent findings in neurology and trauma theory.
It may come as a surprise, but teams, departments and organizations can also be traumatized. Collective traumas occur more frequently than you would think at first glance.
Trauma dynamics are not easy to read. Organizations are often at a loss and do not know how to deal with these kinds of deadlocked situations – which sometimes drag on for a very long time.
In my conversations with managers and HR, I hear the following complaints :
- There are conflicts that just won’t be resolved, no matter how hard we try!
- There is such a heaviness in the organization, but it is difficult to talk about it…
- There is a breach of trust and it seems trust and safety will never be restored
- The organizational climate is suffocating
- ‘It’ is sitting in the walls!
- Everyone is in survival mode!
“Trauma, in essence, is all about overwhelm and broken connections. (…)
Trauma can result from shock,
and also from a series of painful and difficult experiences which can be cumulative over time.”
‘Trauma’ – A hopeful perspective
So trauma is a relatively new perspective to look at unsolvable problems, a toxic atmosphere and persistent, escalated conflicts.
The tensions of overwhelming experiences sit as suppressed energy in the shadow of a group or organization. These tensions do not resolve themselves, but they seek a way out.
As long as trauma dynamics go unaddressed , they will resurface in an attempt to be acknowledged.
On the inside, people experience this as inner tension, high levels of stress, reduced vitality or illness. For example, they suffer from nightmares or flashbacks and experience panic at the thought of having to meet a certain person again.
On the outside this looks like repetition compulsion and projection. People and groups are stuck in a repetitive cycle of tension, conflict and aggression .
Broken connection
An essential characteristic of collective trauma is that the connection between people is broken .
People distance themselves from each other. This results in experiences of isolation, fragmentation, individualization and feeling separated .
What I often hear is for instance:
- We all seem so live on islands
- There is no “we” anymore
- We all withdraw in ourselves
- We keep at a safe distance from one another
So the big question is:
How did this separation come about and what is needed to experience reconnection with each other?
“Trauma breaks relationship.
Within a person, trauma fractures relation to the self and sabotages connection to the other.
At the scale of the collective, traumatic dysrelation is cultural and generational; it is a feedback loop. (…)
Only by addressing unresolved past suffering can we work effectively to prevent potential future suffering. A collective trauma requires a collective response.”
Organizational responses
Fortunately, organizations are increasingly realizing that they must act quickly and decisively in the event of tension in the workplace, escalated conflicts, inappropriate behavior or allegations of “toxic leadership”.
That is why a number of procedures (e.g. informal reporting; formal complaints; disciplinary procedures), instruments (e.g. climate study; risk analysis) and professional roles (e.g. persons of confidence; prevention advisors; welfare coaches; internal and external mediators) have now been put in place to deal with these types of problems discreetly and professionally.
Yet it strikes me that despite all measures and efforts, serious situations often do not really improve …
This may be related to the following elements.
- Difficult situations remain under the radar for a long time, are left unattended or are tackled too late. In the meantime, distrust increases, people feel unsafe and suffer from the lack of rapid intervention (‘suffering upon suffering’).
- There is a taboo on (negative) emotions in organizations and therefore the emphasis is on the ‘facts’ and on ‘objectification’ of situations. Having emotional conversations is a lot harder…
- Organizations tend to individualize problems. The problem lies with a dysfunctional director or a toxic leader. Especially in escalated, painful situations, psychological labels are easily used (e.g. psychopath; narcissist)
“When we become burdened by the stories we tell ourselves about the past, we cannot show up fully in the present; we can’t bring our most essential energy into our work or relationships. (…)
Unhealed trauma damages our capacities for presence and embodiment and harms our ability to relate and connect with others in a healthy way.”
Only by addressing unresolved past suffering can we work effectively to prevent potential future suffering.
A collective trauma requires a collective response.”
A different approach – the power of the collective
Beyond the ‘fix’ approach: from solving to healing
Organizations seem to be primarily focused on ‘solving’ a problematic situation, supporting individual employees (e.g. individual coaching), avoiding procedural errors and preventing dirty laundry from being aired in public.
However, trauma is not about ‘solving’ something. It is about healing wounds, restoring relationships and collective learning .
A trauma-sensitive mindset
A trauma-sensitive approach does not mean that we treat organizations and teams ‘therapeutically’. It is about bringing humanity into interventions.
To heal traumatic experiences it is necessary to acknowledge the painful experiences, needs and fears of all those involved who have had to deal with overwhelming events, transgressive behavior and intense situations .
Social architecture: ‘Raumzeit’ for healing and recovery
Processing overwhelming situations together requires an appropriate social architecture. It is crucial that this space offers sufficient safety to share difficult experiences.
This can be done, for example, in a circle dialogue that aims to restore the social fabric .
People examine unhealthy patterns and face what went wrong. They look at how they can change the unhealthy work situation and what is needed for more well-being in the workplace.
Post-traumatic growth
When those involved succeed in learning together from difficult experiences and when they manage to integrate them, they can emerge stronger. On this basis, energy is freed up to focus on the future again.
What can help in this regard is, for example, insight into stress and individual and collective protective responses when perceiving threats, and learn practices for self-regulation (training).
This investment in relational intelligence, emotional resilience and environmental awareness is a steppingstone to a healthier organizational culture with greater tolerance for difficult situations in the future.
Currently I’m engaged in an intensive, 2-year training on Collective Trauma and Healing with Thomas Hübl (Academy of Inner Science).
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