46. The Internal Conversation of How Human Objects Speak

The topic of well-being and flourishing is a dual-sided story that often communicates benefits enjoyed by one group without sharing the associated costs levied on others. Such costs are rarely revealed by those who have no voice, opportunity, or desire to communicate details describing their experiences on the other side of the well-being equation. As such, this work invites a conversation around well-being and human flourishing that communicates a personal, inner language using stories of people viewed as objects within the mainstream society. Object theory has been used to explain how physical objects can inform us of a past reality, whether the existence of a societal condition or an historical event. In a broader description, object relations theory has been applied extensively in psychoanalytic psychology to explain both the process of developing a psyche in relation to others and, by adding psychodynamic and shadow self theories, better understand how people relate to others and situations in their lives as shaped by perceptions and past experiences. In this study, we use stories, the extant literature, and real-life experiences captured using Photovoice as a research approach to personify object theory and apply it to people today who represent objects in institutions and societies. The topic is of interest in management as an adverse organizational condition that can erode authenticity and create structural bias in business settings which can inadvertently extend to business practices and decisions. We use this concept to explain a central shortcoming in management that hinders the productivity of organizations when leaders subjugate people as objects for the good of the organization. We offer an alternative view of the spiritual relationships that can exist between people in community that serves to develop healthy business environments and improve organizational outcomes.