Workplace Envy Book

List of Case Studies

Introduction 1

1 The Complexity of Envy 11

A complex psychological process 11

Self-comparison with others at the heart of envy 14

An other similar to oneself 15

Envy and identity 16

Envy, desire, and frustration 18

A violent and painful emotion 19

Envy and negative feelings 21

Envy must not be mistaken for jealousy 22

The paradoxes of envy 23

Card 1 Am I envious at work? 24

2 The Effects of Envy on the Organization 26

Envy destroys ties 27

Dissatisfaction with work and withdrawal 29

Hostility, aggressiveness, and destruction 34

An increasing staff turnover 38

Some paradoxical effects of envy in professional environments 40

How are these paradoxical effects related? 44

Card 2 Identifying the symptoms of envy in my team 45

3 Envy, Desire, and Mimetism 46

The classic conception: autonomous in one's desire 47

The hypothesis of mimetic desire 50

Mimesis, envy, and rivalry 52

A difficult acknowledgment 55

A new look at the cases of envy, from the perspective of the mimesis theory 56

An ambiguous relation to the other 58

4 How Management Systems Produce Envy 59

The equalitarian utopia 60

Generalized envy and violence as a means of motivation 64

Systems that promote comparison and the development of envy 69

The "staging" of comparisons 70

A system that impacts on self-esteem 82

The role of the manager 86

Limitless envy: a production of the system 87

Systems that induce envy 90

Card 3 Identifying the risks in my organization 91

5 Envy and Narcissism in Contemporary Organizations 92

Psychoanalytic contributions to understanding envy 93

The psychological roots of mimetism 98

Organizationand the Imaginary Register 99

A "Managinary" system and envy 101

The damage caused by narcissism 103

Richard Durn or the "failed self" 104

"Blowing up" the triangle of envy 107

Noemie, or the narcissistic collapse 108

Narcissism and envy in traditional organizations 113

From Narcissus to Nemesis 115

Card 4 What should I do if I am envious of someone who, I feel, has been more successful than myself? 118

6 Situations that can Trigger Envy 119

Emotions are inevitable in the workplace 119

Toxic emotions in organizations 120

Typology of situations that may give rise to envy 121

When the places of individuals change 122

An unbearable dependency 137

Remaining vigilant 144

7 Healthier Organizations 146

The worst scenario: letting envy take control 146

Limiting mimetic processes 148

Avoiding getting stuck in failure and frustration 149

Choosing the right managers 151

Being able to assert oneself as a subject in the organization 155

A professional experience that makes sense 156

Towards a "good enough" organization? 157

Card 5 What can one do to prevent envy from growing out of proportion? 158

Card 6 What can one do to avoid being the target of envy? 163

Conclusion 165

Notes 169

References 175

Index 182