How we change what others think, feel, believe and do

Psychology, Emotion and Intuition in Work Relationships

Book reviews > Psychology, Emotion and Intuition in Work Relationships

Henry Brown, Neil Dawson and Brenda McHugh (2018). Psychology, Emotion and Intuition in Work Relationships (The Head, Heart and Gut Professional), Routledge, London

 

Once upon a time, management was about the chain of command and telling people what to do. Actually this is something of a myth because people have always had minds of their own and there have always been effective and ineffective managers. Today, this is more true than ever, and a grounding in psychology is more and more an essential as the subject has moved from an obscure academic area to mainstream knowledge. It is in this light that Henry Brown, a solicitor and mediator, has teamed up with Dawson and McHugh, a pair of consultant systemic psychotherapists to write a basic text on the subject for managers (and others who interact with people).

Subjects covered include aspects of the brain, personality, empathy and professional relationships, and are intended to provide useful knowledge for managers. While it is not a direct 'how to' book, much of which is included will provide a good basis for understanding and reflection in becoming more effective with other people. Importantly, as the title intimates, successful relationships means working with feelings as well as thoughts. The days of simple behavioural and cognitive psychology have gone and the subjects of the unconscious mind and emotions are now important and have to be dealt with as a serious subject.

The book describes how we work but does not include exemplar stories. It is not jazzy or full of diagrams and pictures as many books are these days. In fact apart from the occasional cartoon or quote, it is all text. It makes academic references, but not in the dense style of an academic text. Necessarily, in a little over 200 pages, this is not deep, but it is clear and accurate, covering many important topics. This is not a criticism, but it is information for you, depending on the type of book you like to read. Indeed, the book may be too much for some and yet too little for others, which probably means it is about right. If you are going to learn, you need to invest time, and if you know little about this important and relevant subject, this book is as good a start as any.