Management from the perspective of Psychodynamics of Work: Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

This review aims to describe the studies that adopt the psychodynamics of work as a theoretical and/or methodological framework, while having the management and/or the work experiences of managers as their object of study. A systematic review of national and international literature was carried out, and 14 and 7 articles were found, respectively. In the national literature review, eight articles were theoretical-empirical and six were theoretical. In the international review, two articles were theoretical-empirical and five were theoretical. Among the 10 theoretical-empirical articles, 9 adopted qualitative methodology. Only two articles studied the managers' work experience, whilst the others addressed management models and practices. Most of the articles reviewed the way in which management has been developed and some presented suggestions for changes. This review contributes by highlighting the research itineraries while revealing gaps in the literature, which supported the proposal of a research agenda to inspire further studies.

Keywords: managers, psychodynamics of work, systematic review.