The post-Macy paradox,information management and organising: Good intentions and a road to hell?

Between 1946 and 1953, leading scientists met in New York in the context of the so-called Macy conferences, often linked to the emergence of cybernetics. They hankered for a new vision of mind and society. The traumatism of WW2 was implicit but omnipresent, and the Cold War was beginning. Macy key tools and concepts about information, the value of information, and computer artefacts have finally produced a new world, in particular an organisational world, which is far removed from their original dreams. Organisational members are now involved in difficult situations in terms of organising, that is, new modes of performativity which are difficult to comprehend and deal with; a transformation of meaning and knowledge in collective activity; and a threat to well-being and happiness as mental activities, cognition and bodies are increasingly disconnected. We use the Macy conferences as an entry point to reflect on the ‘longue durée’ evolution of the material underpinnings of information and their relationship with organising. We first explore the new conceptualisations at the core of the Macy conferences, information, value of information, and computer artefacts. We then put the Macy conferences into a socio-historical perspective by means of two theoretical approaches, iconographical and semiotic; this involves a historical comparison between the ‘screen-images’ or our Information Age and the ‘object-images’ of medieval cathedrals. We show that there are important disruptions in organising grounded in a new semiosis, which emerged over the longue durée of collective activity, and was articulated further during the Macy conferences. We describe this long-term evolution as the post-Macy paradox.     

Mediating the Self: The Case of Sue

This article is a response to the case study presented by M. C. Rehfuss (2003) regarding a client, Sue, who is experiencing discord in her career as a mediator. A conceptualization of the client and additional areas for client exploration are presented. Five steps of a constructivist career counseling approach are applied to the case to assist Sue with experiencing optimal functioning in her career through her proactive commitment to her life theme of mediation.     

Gestaltungsspielräume und Zwänge der politischen Rolle

The lecture presented here in slightly modified form was held in June 1999 at the 9^th ?Constraint and Spontaneity“ conference sponsored by the group dynamics section of the DAGG. Ingrid Stahmer, who was born in 1942, has been serving in the Berlin government as Senator for Schools, Youth and Sport since 1996. Her political career goes back nearly twenty years beyond that, during which time she sat on the Berlin-Charlottenburg borough council and served as Senator for health and social affairs. The document covers her life in public office, which she vividly reflects upon and analyses using numerous examples from her personal experience. She observes how the possibilities for influencing and shaping policy develop and change along with the levels of political activity as responsibilities increase and administrative and organisational challenges become more complex. One thesis that can be deduced from this is: ?A gain in power (in the political sense) has a reciprocal impact on the range of influence and because accompanied by additional constraints reduces one’s capacity to act effectively.“ The speech contains an analysis of the constraints that work within an administrative body on different levels. The politician’s relationship to her ?roots“, the political party, is analysed as well as the interdependence between politics and the omnipresent power of media. The experience with political consultancy by professional, external and internal counselling runs through the text as well as through the politicans’s life. Also in that sense it is true that the influence on the ?soft“ factors of the organizational development diminishes with the rise in the political hierarchy.     

Implications of Sociopolitical Context for Career Services Delivery

This article analyzes the implications of sociopolitical context for career services delivery. Beginning with a reflection on the social foundations of the practice of career counseling, 4 specific Portuguese conditions are presented and discussed in light of existing knowledge in the field. The 4 underlying issues presented are (a) the impact of political changes on career services delivery, (b) the rigidity vs. flexibility of the educational system, (c) political and psychological perspectives on employment, and (d) the relationship between power and career services delivery. A research agenda founded in political anthropology is proposed that may enhance future career services delivery.     

Vocational Identity at Work: Mediating Between Essence and Occupation

This case report presents the thoughts and experiences of a professional mediator. The narrative tells the story of a 46‐year‐old Caucasian woman who has overcome numerous barriers only to find herself in the midst of a formidable career crisis. The crisis originated when powerful people in her field attempted to force her to act in ways that were incongruent with her self‐concept and vocational identity. She has come to the career counselor seeking direction and an effective resolution of her career crisis.     

Understanding career development amongst immigrant youth in a rural place

There is little research into the career trajectories and occupational aspirations of rural youth with immigrant backgrounds in Europe. This article presents new research based on field observations and interviews with five young immigrants of Persian descent in one rural town in Sweden. The findings highlighted gender differences in how the research participants felt their immigrant background would shape their future career plans and aspirations. The boys anticipated that by staying in the local town they might experience less of the stigma that they knew immigrants in urban areas often face. In contrast, the girls did not think of their rural home town as the best place to establish a career. One of the girls also spoke of an ambition to divide her working life between her new homeland and her family’s country of origin. The analysis stresses the importance of an intercultural understanding of both the local and the global when counselling immigrant youth in rural areas regarding their career choices.     

龚琳娜：12年的轮回与蜕变

采访龚琳娜是在她位于北京国奥村的工作室里。那天，她身穿一件简单的白体恤，盘腿坐在客厅里的一把木质的椅子上，侃侃而谈地说着自己即将出版的新书。新书定在8月出版，书的主题是“自由女人”，讲述的是她在过去12年里经历的蜕变。     

The Case of Jessica Chang: A Business and Industry Perspective

This discussion presents a business and industry perspective on Jessica Chang's career. Jessica's career issues are analyzed from an organizational perspective and from a career counseling perspective, with attention to salient cross-cultural counseling issues. The discussion emphasizes actions that organizations can take to anticipate similar situations, and explores how Jessica could have better managed her career development in view of the challenges she encountered.     

Career Rehabilitation: Integration of Vocational Rehabilitation and Career Development in the Twenty‐First Century

The concept of career rehabilitation, a paradigm that proposes integrating perspectives from vocational rehabilitation and career development, is introduced. Counselors are encouraged to assess how vocational handicaps secondary to a disabling problem can affect a client over his or her “worklife” and to adopt a life‐span approach to career decision making of people with disabilities. Four common vocational handicaps are discussed: diminished access to work opportunities, need for workplace accommodations, employer bias in hiring and advancement, and diminished “worklife” expectancy. Counselors testifying in legal forums are encouraged to pursue scholarship on the career development of people with disabilities.     

Caught in Two Worlds: Jessica Chang From a Cross-Cultural Perspective

This article conceptualizes the case of Jessica Chang from a cross-cultural perspective. The article also suggests additional readings in cross-cultural counseling, and specifically focuses on cross-cultural career counseling The case is examined from the viewpoint of Jessica Chang, her supervisor, and the that of her organization as a whole. Practical implications for each participant are discussed.     

The components of family policy education

The study of family policy in the United States began relatively recently. The academic community increasingly has shown interest in this new policy arena. Much of the conceptual writing on family policy emerged from disciplines such as family studies, social work, political science, economics, and sociology. These academic units have recently modified their course curricula to include more family policy content. These family policy education efforts are discussed in this article. Specific suggestions are made concerning the development and content of family policy education, broader educational training for those who want to pursue a career in family policy, and future goals and directions for family policy education. She received her Ph. D. in Human Development and Family Studies from The Pennsylvania State University. Her research interests are in the family and health policy arenas, with particular focus on ethnically diverse populations. Her most recent research is on homeless children and mothers. She received her Ph.D. in Family Social Science from the University of Minnesota. Her teaching and research interests are workplace and family issues and family policy and impact analysis.     

Expanding Career Options and Optimizing Abilities: The Case of Laura

The authors present a case of a 15‐year‐old Mexican American adolescent girl who is uncertain about her educational and career future. The ecological model of career development (E. P. Cook, M. J. Heppner, & K. M. O'Brien, 2002) is applied to the case. The authors suggest career counseling interventions for this client and discuss potential concerns and issues that may arise in career counseling with this client.     

Career Techniques and Interventions: Themes From an International Conversation

The need for appropriate, timely, and increasingly comprehensive career development and education programs continues to escalate. It is interesting that despite the differences in cultures, religions, economies, political systems, and education structures, many countries face similar challenges when designing and implementing career development programs. Sharing and adapting career development interventions and techniques cross‐culturally appear to be viable strategies for implementing or enhancing programs, provided the concepts and materials are tailored to the countries' unique requirements.     

Keeley's journey: From service user to service provider

Background: This paper presents the vocational journey of a young British woman, Keeley, who changed her career aspirations to become a mental health worker following an episode of significant mental health difficulties. Keeley's story illustrates the application of the locally developed WORKS framework in conceptualising and supporting Keeley's vocational recovery. Approach: A narrative approach highlights the partnerships that developed between Keeley, the Occupational Therapist, Sally, and the User Support and Employment Service. Findings: The WORKS framework supported Keeley and Sally to collaboratively develop a successful employment pathway. Strategies, including attention to Keeley's view of her capabilities and aspirations, volunteer placements, support of peers, employer engagement and planning for sustainable employment, assisted Keeley to establish her chosen career. Keeley's journey highlights the leadership role that mental health services can assume by providing paid work for people with experience of mental health difficulties.     

Selected Milestones in the Evolution of Career Development Practices in the Twentieth Century

This article briefly chronicles selected major events and personalities that have stimulated and shaped career development practices in the 20th century. In its headings by decades, the article seeks to contextualize major political, social, economic, and scientific themes that have influenced the evolution of models of career behavior, career interventions, and the preparation of counselors to engage in the practice of career development.     

Developmental Transitions of Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual-Affirmative,Heterosexual Career Counselors

This article proposes parallels between gay, lesbian, and bisexual identity development and the professional development of gay/lesbian/bisexual-affirmative, heterosexual career counselors. This perspective gives a developmental framework for understanding the changing feelings, thoughts, behaviors, and actions that accompany the professional, personal, and political growth of heterosexual career counselors who are seeking to become affirmative to career and life planning issues associated with sexual orientation.     

Don’t Worry,She’ll Say it: A Tribute to Florence Lieberman

This paper presents a tribute to Florence Lieberman, a significant leader in the field of Clinical Social Work, who has been and continues to be highly productive and vastly influential. Throughout her career Florence has published books and articles that result from her intense and accurate concerns about social work practice, and particularly about practice with children. Florences academic career includes 20 years at Hunter College School of Social Work in New York. As an influential member of the Hunter faculty, she has played an important role in shaping the impact of social work philosophy on psychotherapy practice. Starting with her Charter membership in the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), she has been influential in the development of the Federation of Societies for Clinical Social Work (Federation), the National Academy of Practice (NAP), and the International Committee on the Advancement of Private Practice (ICAPP). Leadership, empowerment, and adherence to Social Works mission are themes that Florence Lieberman has enacted throughout her stellar career. The author discusses his experience with her, which illustrate these essential characteristics.Presented at the International Committee on the Advancement of Private Practice (ICAPP) Meeting on June 9, 2004.     

Academic Self‐Efficacy Within a Culture of Modern Racism: The Case of Benita

The author presents a case study that depicts an African American student's experience in her graduate program, as described to a career counselor. The ecological model of career development (E. P. Cook, M. J. Heppner, & K. M. O'Brien, 2002), which addresses both the microsystems and macrosystems levels of analyses, is applied to the case. The author presents proposed interventions for use with the client and discusses potential barriers to effective multicultural career counseling.     

The Evolution of Career Guidance and Counseling in the People's Republic of China

Although China has a long history of vocational guidance, it is functionally at a beginning stage in career development and counseling because of the historical vagaries of its political leadership. Vocational guidance and career counseling services, as a professional field, are now rapidly being developed to meet the growing need of Chinese society. M. Pope's (1995, 2000) social transitions stage model is applied to the development of career counseling in China. In particular, this article addresses historic and current trends in the economy and labor market in China and their profound impact on the development of career counseling.     

Designing Lives and Empowering Clients: The Case of Sue

This case response centers on the client Sue, a professional mediator who seeks counseling to resolve a conflict with her employer that threatens her vocational identity (M. C. Rehfuss, 2003). P. B. Baltes's (1997) Selective Optimization With Compensation model of human development and J. Heckhausen and R. Schulz's (1995) Life‐Span Theory of Control are used to frame Sue's career development, identify her current control orientation, and assist her in making the transition from compensation to an optimizing strategy. Such a strategy aims to preserve her vocational identity while satisfying the needs of her employer.