Talking About Organizations Podcast
88: Social Defenses Against Anxiety -- Isabel Menzies (Part 1)
Apr 12, 2022
Isabel Menzies, a researcher who conducted a classic study on social systems as a defense against anxiety, discusses the odd methods a teaching hospital developed to protect nurses from anxiety. These methods violated nursing students' expectations and caused them to quit. The podcast explores the challenges in effectively training nursing students while using them as a resource in the hospital, the role of emotional labor and coping mechanisms, and the impact of detachment and empathy in healthcare.
47:58
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Quick takeaways
- The nursing system's rigid routines, lack of clear responsibility, and excessive standardization contribute to nurses' anxiety and hinder their ability to cope.
- New nursing students experience a stark contrast between their expectations and the realities of the nursing environment, leading to high turnover rates and difficulty in recruiting capable individuals.
Deep dives
The case study on the nursing service of a general hospital
The podcast episode discusses a case study conducted by Isabel Menzies on the nursing service of a general hospital. Menzies, who was part of the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations, explored the challenges faced by the nursing staff and the underlying organizational system that caused those challenges. The study revealed that the system's rigid routines, lack of clear responsibility, and excessive standardization contributed to nurses' anxiety and hindered their ability to cope. Additionally, the defense mechanisms employed by the nurses, such as depersonalization and avoidance of change, proved to be temporary fixes that prevented real change and perpetuated the dysfunctional system.
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