This article elaborates the metaphor "organizational currents" in
an attempt to understand certain forces that flow through collectivi
ties. The concept of organizational currents is built on the micropro
cesses of triangulation as formulated by Heider (1958) in social
psychology and Bowen (1978) in family therapy. Two cases are
examined, one at the interpersonal level, the other at the intergroup
level. In both cases relationships were destroyed by forces that had
the quality of a lightening bolt. Implications for managers, organi
zational members, and researchers are discussed.
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