Abstract Book of the 12th International Conference on New Findings in Humanities and Social Sciences
Year: 2025
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Reflections of Gods, Heroes, and Symbols in Organizational Dynamics: Analytical Insights from Greek Mythology
Dr. Navreet Kaur
ABSTRACT:
Myths allude to something of collective importance and provide a context where people can understand their experience of the world and direct their behaviour. This paper is an attempt at analysing representative Greek myths and understanding their relevance to organizational dynamics both at micro and macro levels. There are underlying themes in the tales of gods and other legendary figures that explain how individuals and groups behave, relate to one another, and affect the culture and efficacy of an organization. After an extensive review of research literature, insights are gathered on the following: the Midas paradox and the curse of resource abundance; Trojan horse as a symbol of business strategy; flaws in Odysseus’s heroic leadership; the metaphor of Damocles’ Sword and perils of leadership; Pygmalion effect and its role in employee development; the values and character of Greek Gods and their reflection in organizational culture; the Icarus syndrome and high performance organizations; the myth of Prometheus as an allegory for innovative disruption; and behavioral lessons from the myths of Sisyphus, Narcissus, and Achilles. The study fills an intellectual gap by presenting a comprehensive account of the various mythical constructs symbolizing key elements within the organizational behaviour framework and unearthing their applications thereof. It has implications for developing training programs based on storytelling enabling organizational members to engage in critical self-reflection and deal with absurdities in the work context.
Keywords: icarus complex, midas paradox, myth, promethean business, pygmalion effect