Introduction to Organizational Olympians: Heroes and Villains of Organizational Myths

Abstract

Myths are typically populated by heroes and villains. In fact, they are quite often two sides of the same coin, as the archetypes that they are based on are bipolar (Jung, 1966/1992). Bowles (1997, p. 796) points out that

The negative expression of the hero archetype manifests where the hero acts in a self-interested egoic way where only narrower or particular interests or goals are served, perhaps to the detriment of the community at large. In idealizing the hero and projecting their own hero archetype onto the leader, which can make the leader appear larger than life, others can miss the fact that their own interests are perhaps not only not served, but in fact undermined.