Summary: This book introduces the reader to the management consultancy technique of Organizational Role Analysis--a technique with the immensely practical purpose of helping managers to stay "in role and on task." As such, it provides a coherent, superbly illustrated framework for in-depth coaching. The ORA method is grounded in a process of consultation that derives from the conjunction of open systems theory, and psychodynamic understandings of human behavior. It enables the collaborative resolution of the mental and emotional tensions represented in the client's work role as he/she strives to manage the dynamics between the organization-in-the-mind and the organization-in-reality.

While the method of Organizational Role Analysis presented in this book has been evolving for three decades, published accounts of the work have been sparse, spasmodic, and relatively obscure. This book brings together the work of experienced practitioners from around the globe who illuminate the guiding concepts with lively, practical examples that illustrate the variety of ways in which managers can receive coaching in-depth. These accounts are complemented by an extensive bibliography for further reading.

Contributors: John Bazalgette, Ullrich Beumer, Hanna Biran, Irving Borwick, Jane Chapman, Laurence J. Gould, W. Gordon Lawrence, Susan Long, Rose Redding Mersky, John Newton, Bruce Reed, and Burkard Sievers