Incest 0000i-xiv FM 1 - William L. White

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illness, addiction, sexual exploitation of clients, misuse of agency funds,
or other breeches in ethical and legal conduct. Outside intervention is
then possible through a board of directors or a new organizational leader.
With increased sophistication in our knowledge of organizational
life, it may be possible to avoid much of the above pain and turmoil. It
may be possible to define predictable developmental stages in the life of
an organization—each of which may require different leadership styles,
personalities, and skills. Some managers may have the flexibility to
adapt and effectively see an organization through all of these developmental
stages; others may become specialists who will be brought in to
provide leadership during one developmental stage and then leave as
the next developmental stage emerges. Some managers may be selected
to create, others to maintain. A career specialty is slowly evolving in
which managers do nothing but start new organizations or come in to restructure
organizations in crisis. Rather than chastising them for their
inability to stay with one organization for the long haul, we are beginning
to see these individuals as highly competent and valued management
specialists. Such a perspective could help us understand the need
for a change in leadership or a change in a leader’s role and function as
an organization’s needs dictate movement from closure to greater openness
or from openness to closure.
Bringing Replenishment to a Depleted System. The most important initial
role of any consultant (or new director) working with a closed organizational
family is to provide a source of needed replenishment for its
members. Recommendations for the consultant or new director include
the following:
A. Listen. Begin by assessing the individual and collective health
of the organizational family. In organizations experiencing
high levels of emotional pain and conflict, this can best be
done through one-to-one interviews with the staff. (One-toone
meetings also weaken the group cohesion in closed systems.)
In systems experiencing less conflict (and closure), use
a combination of one-to-one and small-group interviews. The
purpose of these interviews is to collect data and to build a
supportive, nurturing relationship with each organizational
member. In these interviews, a manager can give each staff
member an opportunity to