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Get to Know Your Employee

Secrets of A Successful Company

  • 1st Edition - September 1, 2026
  • Latest edition
  • Author: Janek Musek
  • Language: English

Get to Know Your Employee: Secrets of a Successful Company addresses the critical and often overlooked psychological factors that influence organizational performance and employ… Read more

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Description

Get to Know Your Employee: Secrets of a Successful Company addresses the critical and often overlooked psychological factors that influence organizational performance and employee relations. Drawing on cutting-edge research in organizational psychology, neuroscience, and developmental science, this reference provides a comprehensive analysis of how early life experiences, repressed fears, and defensive behaviors can undermine workplace efficiency, creativity, and well-being. The book fills a crucial gap by revealing the hidden causes of organizational challenges that traditional management strategies often overlook. The reference is structured to guide readers through a logical progression, beginning with foundational concepts and the unknowns that must be recognized in organizational settings. Subsequent chapters examine the role of early experiences and brain development, the impact of parenting styles, and the mechanisms by which early stress translates into defensive behaviors. The text further explores motivational loops, approach-avoidance behaviors, and the neuroscientific underpinnings of workplace dynamics. Practical solutions are presented for managers and leaders, including methods for reassuring employees, building job satisfaction, and strengthening organizational culture. Appendices, references, and supportive figures enhance the utility of the content. Get to Know Your Employee equips organizational leaders, managers, psychologists, and allied professionals with a scientifically grounded framework for diagnosing and resolving persistent workplace problems. By addressing the psychological roots of organizational dysfunction, the reference empowers readers to foster healthier, more productive, and more innovative work environments. This work is essential for those seeking to align organizational values with behaviors, improve employee satisfaction, and achieve sustainable business success.

Key features

  • Explains the impact of early traumatic experiences on workplace dynamics
  • Provides practical strategies for managers to improve corporate culture and productivity
  • Assess the neuroscientific bases of motivation and avoidance behavior
  • Offers practical strategies to align organizational values with employee behavior

Readership

Industrial and organizational psychologists, mental healthcare professionals, and corporate leaders

Table of contents

1. Introduction

2. Early Experiences

2.1 Early experiences and brain development

2.2 Parenting styles, leading experiences, and generalized mindsets

2.3 Healthy development

2.4 Traumatic events and experiences

2.5 Microtraumas and complex traumas

3. Mechanisms

3.1 Early stress and defensive behavior

3.2 Developmental trauma disorder

3.3 Severe stress and stress hormones

3.4 Neuroscientific explanations

4. Loops and Cycling

4.1 Motivation

4.2 Ambivalent goals

4.3 Behavioral loops and cycling

4.4 Vicious cycle and infinity loop

4.5 Approach-avoidance behavior and vicious cycles in mental health issues

4.6 The role of trauma in cognitive looping

4.7 Neuroscientific basis of motivation and approach avoidance behavior

5. Solutions

5.1 Reassuring employees

5.2 Building job satisfaction

5.3 Corporate/organizational culture

5.4 From theory to practice

5.5 From intentions to behavior

5.6 Strength of organizational/corporate culture

6. Epilogue

Product details

  • Edition: 1
  • Latest edition
  • Published: September 1, 2026
  • Language: English

About the author

JM

Janek Musek

Dr. Janek Musek is Professor Emeritus at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. He obtained his PhD in Psychology from the University of Ljubljana and brings nearly five decades of experience in behavioral and organizational psychology. His teaching experience spans personality psychology, differential psychology, motivation and emotion, and cognitive psychology. In his tenure at the University of Ljubljana, Dr. Musek served as Head of the Department of Pyschology, Vice-Dean of Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and Vice-Rector of the University of Ljubljana. He is the cofounder of Institute of Ethics and Values Jože Trontelj (IEV) and the Institute of Personality Psychology. Dr. Musek is best known for his development of the General Personality Factor theory, which illustrates the interconnection of the Big Five dimensions of personality. He is globally recognized for his contributions to organizational stress management, well-being, and psychological health. He has published dozens of monographs, including Elsevier's The General Factor of Personality.

Affiliations and expertise
Professor Emeritus, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia