INDIVIDUAL VS. SYSTEM
There is yet another level at which the dialogue is engaged between personal and organizational orientations to professional coaching. This concerns the focus on individual and group dynamics within organizations versus a broader systemic orientation. Even if Natalie and john have been focusing on the seemingly indifference or ambivalence of Kurt for several sessions, this is still an isolated, individualistic perspective. To what extent is Kurt correct when he writes in his email that everyone in the organization takes work home? Is the real problem one of organization-wide workloads or the lack of work/home boundaries? Are John’s “problems” really symptomatic of organization-wide issues? To what extent is this president’s ambivalence a manifestation of a broader ambivalence regarding profit and quality within this hospital. And to what extent, is this ambivalence manifest in very tangible ways – such as in the performance review standards and reward systems of the hospital. What about the complimentary roles being played by Kurt as big-picture visionary and John as practical problem-solver? Are they playing out these roles on behalf of the entire hospital system? Is the splitting that occurs in the often-frustrating (at least for John) relationship between Kurt and John a broader, systemic splitting? This kind of bifurcation is certainly commonly found in contemporary hospital systems. Hospitals must offer hope to their patients (and staff) while simultaneously being run as businesses.
While a few organizational coaches have come out of the Continental School and many organizationally oriented coaches have come out of the American School of organization development (often identified with the NTL Institute), others (especially elsewhere in the world) come out of the “British School” (often identified with the Tavistock Institute; Colman & Bexton, 1975). The British school not only emphasizes the unconscious (psychodynamic) life of organizations, but also the systemic nature of organizational dynamics. Thus, another choice point is identified: should Natalie and John explore organizational issues at John’s hospital from an American perspective (with its emphasis on individual leadership behavior and group dynamics) or from a British perspective (with its emphasis on system dynamics)?
The conversation between Natalie and John might go something like this:
Natalie: You have tried to confront Kurt about your work load and “can’t do” role. Yet, nothing has happened. I would suggest that we step back for a minute and examine what’s going on from a different perspective. Would that be agreeable?
John: Sure. What do you have in mind?
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