Repetition and the Compulsion to Repeat: Psychodynamic Challenges in Organizational Learning and Change

While individuals productively use repetition to learn and develop new skills and competencies, they also engage in compulsive and counterproductive repetitions. This article makes a contribution to the literature on organizational learning and change by offering an exploration of the human proclivity for repetition and psychosocial phenomenon of the compulsion to repeat. The article links psychoanalytic theory with organization learning and change, to address the question: How is the tendency for repetition, constructive and destructive, addressed in organizational change processes? A case example is presented and discussed throughout this exploration of organizational change and the compulsion to repeat.