In today’s organisations, the language of transformation is everywhere: people talk about empathetic leadership, cultures of innovation, wellbeing, and inclusion. But that transformation does not materialise meaningfully, consistently, and sustainably in many cases beyond the formal discourse.

In other words, there is talk of transformation. Still, things remain the same in practice or change very little: turnover remains high, energy is drained in endless meetings, innovation stalls, and distrust is masked by polite conversation.

Why does this happen? Organisations, like people, have an unconscious—a collective life that operates beneath the surface of formal declarations.

Understanding the Organisational Unconscious

The organisational unconscious is the invisible territory where unspoken loyalties, silent pacts, shared fears, implicit prohibitions, and repressed emotions reside. It shapes, often unknowingly, workplace culture and decision-making.

It is not abstract; it becomes evident when, for example:

• Everyone verbally supports a transformation, but no one implements it.
• Patterns of failure repeat themselves with different people.
• Certain leaders or past eras are revered, even if no longer effective.
• People emotionally “disengage” while remaining in their roles.
• Organisations speak of well-being while normalising collective burnout.

Four Dynamics That Reveal the Unspoken

1. Division: The organisation symbolically splits to survive: us vs. them, field vs. corporate, the “good ones” vs. the “problematic ones.” People don’t see themselves as part of a whole but as fragmented groups. This prevents meaningful dialogue and integration.

2. Invisible Loyalties: People unknowingly stay loyal to past leaders, outdated leadership styles, or protective silences. What once worked no longer applies. Change is perceived as emotional betrayal rather than evolution, which increases resistance and rigidity.

3. Institutional Taboos: Off-limits topics include power, inequality, privilege, mistakes, and favouritism. Silence becomes a defence mechanism. But what goes unspoken tends to manifest elsewhere, usually not in helpful ways.

4. Empty Rituals: Meetings without purpose, disconnected recognition, processes that continue out of inertia. These repetitive actions soothe the system but block true renewal.

5. Exclusion: Hidden narratives of exclusion, misunderstood meritocracy, or fear of losing privilege.

Three Familiar Stories

The Leadership That Doesn’t Inspire Change: A new CEO brings transformational energy. There is initial enthusiasm, but the system doesn’t respond. The team remains emotionally attached to the former leader. Unspoken loyalties are in control.

Innovation Blocked by Fear: A campaign is launched to “embrace failure,” but subtle punishment follows when the first project fails. The implicit message is stronger than the declared one. Motivation and initiative fade.

Wellbeing Masking Exhaustion: Organisations offer mindfulness breaks and self-care talks while demanding 24/7 availability. Burnout only intensifies.

There are countless examples. But ultimately, a mismanaged organisational unconscious affects key business outcomes: productivity, retention, engagement, integration, innovation, and adaptability.

From Awareness to Action: A Practical Strategy for Leading the Organisational Unconscious

1. Unconventional Diagnosis: Listen to What Is Not Being Said

Goal: Name the unnameable. Make the invisible visible.

Recommended tools:

• Open-ended interviews with deep listening (ideally externally facilitated)
• Mapping “cultural tensions” (not just climate)
• Analysing informal language: repeated phrases, significant silences
• Storytelling spaces that allow critical narratives and shared symbols to emerge

2. Decoding Invisible Loyalties and Their Consequences

Every human group has implicit loyalties to founders, past crises, leadership styles, and working methods. These loyalties may be misaligned with current goals.

Strategic actions:

• Conduct “cultural archaeology” to identify events, leaders, or narratives still shaping the present
• Explore outdated beliefs that may be hindering growth

3. Turning the Unconscious Into a Catalyst: Organisational Reframing

Goal: Use the weight of the unconscious as cultural fuel, not resistance.

Practical strategies:

• Symbolic rituals: transitions, closures, or launches that mark new cultural beginnings (e.g., ceremonies to welcome a new vision)
• Rewritten origin stories: reframing the past to empower the future (e.g., viewing past mistakes as part of the journey to success)
• Safe contradiction spaces: where leaders model behaviours that used to be taboo (e.g., vulnerability, learning from errors, emotional dialogue)

4. Develop Systemic Awareness in Leadership

Without realising it, leaders are often the leading carriers of the organisational unconscious. When leadership evolves consciously, it creates space for the unsaid to be heard, generating trust and turning contradiction into learning.

Action plan:

• Training in systemic thinking and conscious, adaptive leadership
• Executive coaching
• 360º assessments that include perceptions of openness, trust, and comfort with contradiction

5. Measure the Intangible to Influence the Tangible

While the unconscious may seem “soft,” managing it can drive concrete results. Key success indicators include:

• Lower voluntary turnover
• Improved climate and belonging indicators
• Increased cross-functional innovation participation
• Faster adaptation to change
• Higher internal and external NPS

Leading With Awareness From the Unconscious

Ignoring the organisational unconscious means letting it lead from the shadows. Leading it doesn’t mean eliminating it, but making it conscious and channelling its power into transformation. The most evolved organisations are not those without tension but those that know how to navigate their contradictions with emotional intelligence, purpose, and shared vision.

Behind every act of resistance or tension, there is a story that needs to be told and a conversation that needs to happen.

By Marisol Zimbron

Keywords: Coaching, Leadership, Transformation

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