Organizations have increasingly adopted an ontological function amid the modularization of lives and the erosion of spiritual traditions. The popularity of decentralizing authority reflects this move towards self-realization in the workplace. In this context, organizational scholars using psychodynamic approaches have identified a shift towards normative, neo-normative and affective modes of control based on the imaginary and fantasies. We build on the case of a Belgian non-profit organization to illustrate how a scouting rejuvenating fantasy in a context of weakening symbolic authority generates a dynamic interlinkage between neo-normative and affective control, giving rise to polarized fantasies of ‘being prepared’ among veterans and ‘enjoy together’ among young field workers. By showing how these fantasies reinforce each other, we nuance criticisms of unilateral exploitation of workers and show how all parties feed into superegos to which they submit.