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Many of us have particular things in our lives – photographs, paintings, old letters, books, furniture, jewellery, or clothing – that hold special meaning for us. Often, they correspond to pivotal memories and can be central to our sense of self and our life narratives, all the more so as we age. Things That Matter sheds important light on the intricate intertwining of mementos with stories – and vice versa – in most people's lives. The book explores the significance of cherished objects within the life stories of nine participants in a qualitative study of the links between reminiscence and resilience in later life. The researchers who conducted the study represent a variety of fields, including gerontology, social work, ministry, nursing, literature, and education. The book details how life stories can be fraught with a wide range of insights and questions from the memories that get stirred up as people embark on the process of'life review'prompted by the challenges and changes of aging. Shedding light on the complex emotional, psychological, and spiritual findings of the study, Things That Matter ultimately reveals the intricacy of personal narrative and the incredible ways in which things and stories are interwoven in our lives over time.

Why do our organizations so often seem to be less than the sum of their parts? What undermines effectiveness and morale, and gets in the way of achieving what we set out to do?The Unconscious at Work, Second Edition draws on a body of thinking and practice which has developed over the past 70 years, often referred to as'the Tavistock approach'or'systems-psychodynamics'. All the contributors are practising consultants who draw on this framework, bringing it alive and making it useful to any reader – manager, leader or consultant, regardless of whether they have any prior familiarity with the underlying concepts – who is curious about what might be driving the puzzling or stressful situations they find in their workplace. The First Edition was addressed to people working in'the human services': health, social care and education. Since it was published in 1994, there has been growing interest in the business world, and in understanding more about the'irrational'side of organizational life. Therefore, this Second Edition includes an entirely new section where the key ideas are revisited and illustrated with case studies from a wide range of business organizations, from large corporations to start-ups and family businesses. The aim, however remains the same: to enlarge readers'existing sense-making'tool-kits'so that they can look at themselves and their organizations with fresh eyes, deepening the emotional intelligence they bring to bear on the challenges they face and providing new possibilities for action. The Unconscious at Work, Second Edition is for managers, leaders, consultants, and anyone working in organizations who has been puzzled, disturbed or challenged by their experiences at work.

The publication of this book coincides with a increasing recognition that the challenges facing society and organisations are not amenable to'quick fixes'. The approaches to consultancy which underpin the cases presented here are particularly relevant in this new context. The contributors are graduates of AOC The Tavistock Institute Masters Programme in Advanced Organisational Change and Consulting and their associates; and the work they describe here is a testament to the quality of that programme and the learning that participants get from it.

Executive Coaching focuses on the coaching applications of systemic-psychodynamic theory in the context of organizational life that is both goal-orientated and held in a managerial/leadership context.