Unearthing gold from the mud: alchemy and organizational tensions

ABSTRACT Organizational tensions are overwhelmingly considered problems to be solved promptly, because they disrupt a rightful order and impede the normal flow of effective practice, production and service. I propose to look at organizational tensions through a more holistic and spiritually infused lens. The discussion is articulated around a core question: from a symbolic and spiritual viewpoint, how do we make sense of and how can we handle the inevitable tensions that fuel organizational life? Following the work of C.G. Jung, I identify tensions as opportunities for soulful learning and as synchronistic opportunities which point toward a chance at awakening something latent in our self. I outline how the complex and artful practice of alchemy offers a process of meaning-making of tensions in organizational life that is both systematic and creative, allowing a deeper understanding of what transformation entails, what shapes it can take, and how we can be present to it.