In a business context, the term archetype is most commonly used to refer to a functional template or role prototype. However, in leadership and management practice, we have to fulfil several templates or roles at the same time, so our leadership character is a mixture of several archetype components. Archetypes are patterns and templates deeply embedded in our consciousness, which operate according to their own set of laws. Pure archetypes are found in fairy tales and popular culture in general. In these stories, we can identify them very easily and their cooperation or opposition, their history, their problems, their evolutionary paths are clear. In business and corporate contexts, industry specificities, corporate culture or social embeddedness can colour the pure archetypal patterns, disguise them and make them less easy to recognise. In a movie, it is clear who the hero is, what the mission is and what the obstacle is, whereas in a business situation or a business problem, it is not so easy to identify.
Through archetypes, we are given a decryption key to understand the deeply embedded communication and cooperation laws and their interaction in human character. When we start from the business needs or the tasks of the organizational position, we can also break it down into the archetypes expected for the position, which are necessary to operate in order to be a successful leader.
Archetypes also encode problem-solving templates and approaches. They can thus be used to manage conflict between departments or organisational units or to foster cooperation. The leadership character or profile created from the archetypes in operation plays a very important role in the development of organisational image and ultimately organisational identity. This in turn has a major impact on the cohesiveness of the organisation, the loyalty, commitment and motivation levels of individuals. In this light, we offer the following services: