Gestalt Techniques for Facilitating Change in Organizational Culture

Hello there-

I am a newcomer to this forum and am looking forward to contributing to and gaining from the vast experience and knowledge forming in the applied behavioral science field.

A little about myself--I am a part time masters student in Applied Behavioral Science at Johns Hopkins University. I am also an organizational development consultant for Computer Sciences Corporation and have a nascent OD practice of my own. OD is a recent career transition for me and I feel that, at last, I have finally found my calling!

I am currently taking a course on experiential learning at JHU and I have a project to examine the possible use of Gestalt techniques for facilitating change in organizational cultures. This learning will be very useful on my current project at CSC. Organizational culture issues are huge at CSC particularly due to the rapid growth through outsourcing acquisition. My sense of the learning needs of my internal clients appears to require concrete, practical, and experiential approaches. I was wondering if anyone could point me towards some references or research around this topic. I'd also love to hear your own personal experiences with a sense of what works and what does not work. Both these topics are fairly new to me...particularly Gestalt psychology. My area of expertise has focused on applications of Jungian psychology in organizations. My sense is that Gestalt approaches might be a good compliment. Any thoughts? Thank you for your time.

Best Regards, Christina Caro

• scapegoating by kevin smith, 2/17/98