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The development of Gestalt thinking, especially the work of Fritz Perls, is reviewed. It is suggested that the Gestalt process has been marred in the past by placing too much power with the therapist. Gestalt can be used more appropriately in Interpersonal Skills Training by giving more real involvement to the learner.

It is clear from work carried out in psychotherapy and family therapy, that individuals and families get stuck because an impasse develops between a conscious desire for change and an unconscious desire to avoid change. The authors consider how this can apply to groups and organisations. It is assumed that organisations are living organisms with conscious and unconscious processes. Five different ways in which organisations “get stuck” are identified and the interventions appropriate to each particular organisation blockage are described.

The paper depicts an exercise in which a transtheoretical model of planned personal change serves as a metaphor for planned organizational change. Implications from the metaphorical exercise revealed thought provoking findings regarding the limited nature of OD change processes and their ordering in an organizational intervention. Weaknesses and suggestions for future research are provided.

The purpose of this paper is to outline how a Gestalt approach to coaching which makes use of the paradoxical theory of change can lead to personal growth and development.

Provides an overview of the key concepts of paradoxical coaching and a case study to illustrate the method.

The application of the paradoxical theory of change accesses the personal change process of the coachee and leads to improved performance.

The article provides an alternative perspective to the more widespread behaviorally‐based coaching approaches.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of the latest developments in the field of corporate coaching and mentoring.

Provides a viewpoint on the coaching and mentoring field drawing on research from Europe and the US.

Structured or supported coaching and mentoring within organisations is evolving rapidly and research is at last beginning to provide valuable insights into effective practices. Some strongly‐held assumptions are being challenged along the way. Greater definitional clarity, within specific contexts, contributes to efficacy. Increasing professionalisation with the coaching and mentoring sector is being helped by dialogue between the various bodies representing coaches and mentors and by the spread of supervision.

The article provides a succinct overview of the current position of the corporate coaching and mentoring arena and offers insights into how the field will develop in the future.

The idea of “African Management” is compelling when considering the complex social and organizational changes under way in South Africa today. Sets out to critically evaluate the concept of “African Management” as used by Mbigi and Maree (1995). Argues that, while the book contains many weaknesses, it documents an idiosyncratic, but valuable view for interpreting the world. Further argues that it is important to compare this view with management theory which has been developed in the West in order to understand the similarities and differences that may exist, and how these might best be exploited to achieve healthy organizations.

Concepts about the learning organisation have become popular ideas for companies and organisations alike to promote the learning process within them. The practice has, however, received a mixed reception somewhere between enthusiasm and scepticism. This is because the ideas themselves have been developed from different interpretations of the concept. There is, however, strong commitment from various individuals in organisations who make an attempt to explore and use the concepts of the learning organisation. This paper introduces and explores the concept and practice of gestalt therapy. The article explores the similarity between the concepts and practice of the learning organisation, and gestalt therapy, such as concepts of learning, holism, existential phenomenology, mental models, and team learning, with examples from his practice. The author concludes with his integrative model and believes that this contribution may further improve the understanding of the concepts of the learning organisation.

The millennium found the first ever training in Britain of the American Pesso-Boyden System Psychomotor (PBSP) method of adult reparative growth taking place with a dozen experienced leadership development specialists. They quickly proceeded to incorporate this psychodynamic cum systemic approach within their successful practiceportfolios. What is the influence of PBSP on their coaching and personal development work with senior, fully functioning, high performing executives? A qualitative analysis based in their reported practice identifies two specific technical adaptations illustrated empirically and conceptually elaborated in this paper. The authors speculate on the implications of these preliminary outcomes from PBSP practice within the context of tentative neuroscientific understanding and underpinning psychodynamic theoretical assumptions. They conclude questioning a core premise of ‘talk therapy.’

The purpose of this paper is to expand understanding of how Gestalt psychotherapy theory and practice can support the facilitation of change management efforts in organisations.

The methodology is based on action research approach in which the author has applied Gestalt principles to her work as a change management practitioner. Case study material is used to support the development of an emergent model for change management based on Gestalt psychotherapy theory and praxis.

This paper emphasises the need to attend in change management efforts to three interrelated capabilities: Sensing, Supporting and Sustaining. Together these emphasise the need to track and stay responsive to the organisational environment; to ensure the right amount of support and challenge is present in the change effort and finally, to provide a focus on experimentation and the embedding of learning for sustainable change.

This contribution is limited by looking at only four cases in the private sector and the current paper should be considered as a preliminary/exploratory research.

This study has two key implications for scholars and practitioners. First, it shows the usefulness of continuous sensing into the phenomenological experience of the organisation throughout the lifetime of a change project. Second, this study shows that learning and experimentation with new ways of being is crucial to an organisation that wants to grow and remain fluid and responsive to its environment.

This article offers a conceptualisation of how the theory and practice of relational Gestalt psychotherapy theory can shape the practice of organisational development practitioners. Its uniqueness lies in that it offers to Gestalt practitioners a sense of the applicability of Gestalt theory to large‐scale organisational interventions; and for non‐Gestalt informed OD practitioners it offers new insights into a theory base that promotes a relational, holistic and emergent view of change.