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Riga Gestalt Institute Certification

paper Student Brigita Kaleckaitė

„Gestalt Approach in Organizations:

Working with Human Resources”

Content

1. Summary

2. Summary in Latvian

3. Summary in Russian

4. Review

5. Introduction

6. Business consulting and psychotherapy

7. Introduction to Gestalt psychotherapy

8. Gestalt psychotherapy in organizations:

1. Gestalt approach - basic definitions in business

2. Gestalt consulting

3. Human resources management (HRM) and consulting

4. HRM and Gestalt approach in my organization

5. Gestalt cases:

a) Case 1 – resistance at new employees’ selection process (Lithuania)

b) Case 2 – 3 positive and 3 negative characteristics (Lithuania)

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c) Case 3 – “hot chair” in marketing research (Sweden)

d) Case 4 – psychotherapy terms in the project (Sweden)

e) Case 5 - one session regarding career plans (Lithuania)

f) Case 6 – sick on cancer (Lithuania)

g) Case 7 – new candidate selection and experiment (Lithuania)

h) Case 8 – one session regarding career plans (Lithuania)

i) Case 9 – team building experiment (Denmark)

j) Case 10 – personal couching (Lithuania)

k) Case 11 – body language (Sweden)

l) Case 12 – internal portal implementation project (Lithuania)

m) Case 13 – coaching for project manager (Latvia)

n) Case 14 – coaching for presentation skills (Latvia)

o) Case 15 – drawing social network for selecting process (Lithuania)

9. Literature

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Summary

Currently there are many business consulting organizations offering for business

various services with different type of definitions. Each consulting company offers something

unique. During the last 30 years, especially nowadays, it is also very popular to use many

methods from psychoteraphy in business. I am describing in this certification paper one type of

psychotherapy called Gestalt psychotherapy. This therapy is known among psychologists and

doctors in Latvia and Lithuania, but still not very well known in the public. My studies at Riga

Gestalt Institute and working experience as a Human Resources manager in international

information systems implementation projects in Latvia, Sweden and Denmark allows me to

apply Gestalt to broader international employees’ community and it also gives me an opportunity

to compare how Gestalt methods are used in Scandinavian and in the Baltic countries.

The paper starts with a short introduction to Gestalt psychotherapy and describes the

main definitions used in therapy. Later it introduces the main concept of Gestalt approach in

business consulting and organizations. I also provide some reflections from my working

experience regarding differences in being Gestalt consultant in organizations from outside and

working as Gestalt consultant in a managerial position inside the company. As there is a

difference in having individual or group therapy, there is also a big difference between

consulting employees of another company or in your own company. There is a very delicate line

between business consulting and therapy, and it is Gestalt consultant’s responsibility to stop at

the line and say clearly to employees where the business ends and the theraphy start. Every

employee has right to say stop at this line.

The second part of the certification work provides 15 practical case studies from my

daily practical experience in applying Gestalt methods in the company. Case studies are from

different projects and countries: Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden and Denmark. All cases are

describing some problems at the office or in the project in one company having branches in

Latvia and Lithuania and one case is about relationships between two companies in one

Lithuanian project. These cases allow you to explore the real differences and similarities

between Gestalt psychotherapist, Gestalt consultant and HR manager work.

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Kopsavilkums

Šobrīd ir liels skaits konsultatīvo organizāciju uzņēmējdarbības jautājumos, kuras

uzņēmumiem piedāvā dažāda veida pakalpojumus. Katra konsultatīvā kompānija piedāvā kaut

ko unikālu. Pēdējo 30 gadu laikā, un it sevišķi šobrīd, uzņēmējdarbībā ļoti populāra ir kļuvusi

dažādu psihoterapijas metožu piemērošana. Šajā diplomdarbā tiek aprakstīts viens no

psihoterapijas veidiem, kuru sauc par Geštalt psihoterapiju. Šī psihoterapija ir diezgan labi

zināma psihologiem un ārstiem Latvijā un Lietuvā, taču tā vēl aizvien nav plaši zināma. Mans

darbs Rīgas Geštalt institūtā un darba prakse, kas iekļauj cilvēciskos resursus starptautiskos

informācijas projektu ieviešanas laikā Latvijā, Zviedrijā un Dānijā, projektos ļauj man piemērot

Geštalt metodiku plašākai starptautiskajai darbinieku sabiedrībai, tā tāpat sniedz iespēju

salīdzināt piemērojamās Geštalt metodes Skandināvijas un Baltijas valstīs.

Darbs tiek uzsākts ar īsu ievadu Geštalt psihoterapijā un tas raksturo galvenos jēdzienus,

kuri tiek izmantoti šajā terapijā. Tālāk darbā tiek aplūkota galvenā Geštalt metodes koncepcija,

kura ir piemērojama konsultēšanai organizācijām. Darbā tāpat izsaku savus spriedelējumus par

Geštalt konsultanta darba ne organizācijā un par Geštalt konsultanta darba kompānijas iekšienē

vadītāja amatu atšķirībām. Tā kā ir novērojama atšķirība starp individuālo un grupas terapiju, ir

liela atšķirība starp citas kompānijas personāla un savas kompānijas personāla konsultēšanu.

Starp uzņēmējdarbības konsultēšanu un terapiju ir pavisam nesaskatāma robeža, tādēļ Geštalt

konsultantam jāapstājas pie robežas un skaidri jāpasaka darbinieka, ka uzņēmējdarbība beidzas

un sākas terapija. Katram darbiniekam ir tiesības pateikt „stop“ pie sasniegtās robežas.

Otrā diplomdarba darba daļā tiek apskatīti 15 pētījumu konkrēti piemēri no manas

ikdienas Geštalt metodikas piemērošanas kompānijā, kurā tika veikta prakse. Tiek realizēti

konkrēti piemēri, vadoties pēc dažādiem projektiem dažādās valstīs: Lietuvā, Zviedrijā un

Dānijā. Visos piemēros tiek aprakstītas konkrētas problēmas, kuras sastopamas kancelejā vai

vienas kompānijas, kurai ir filiāles Latvijā un Lietuvā, projektā, un viens no piemēriem ir saistīts

ar attiecībām starp divām kompānijām vienā Lietuvas projektā. Šie piemēri ļauj analizēt reālas

atšķirības un līdzības starp Geštalt psihoterapeita, Geštalt konsultanta un cilvēcisko resursu

speciālista darbu.

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Резюме

В настоящее время существует множество организаций по деловому

консультированию, предлагающие предпринимателям различные услуги, имеющие

различное определение. Каждая консультирующая компания предлагает нечто

уникальное. За последние 30 лет, особенно сегодня, в деловом предпринимательстве стало

очень популярным применение многих психотерапевтических методов. В этой дипломной

работе я описываю один из видов психотерапии, называемый Гештальт психотерапия. Эта

психотерапия известна среди психологов и врачей в Латвии и Литве, однако все еще

недостаточно известна в широких кругах. Моя учеба в Рижском Гештальт институте и

практика работы в качестве управляющего по людским ресурсам в международных

проектах по внедрению информационных систем в Латвии, Швеции и Дании позволяют

мне применить Гештальт-методику к более широкому международному сообществу

служащих, а также предоставляют мне возможность для сравнения применения Гештальт

методов в скандинавских и балтийских странах.

Работа начинается с краткого введения в Гештальт психотерапию и описывает

основные определения, используемые в терапии. Далее в работе представлена основная

концепция Гештальт-подхода к деловому консультированию и организациям. Я также

привожу некоторые размышления из своего рабочего опыта относительно различий

работы в качестве Гештальт консультанта вне организации и работы в качестве Гештальт

консультанта на руководящей должности внутри компании. Ввиду различия между

индивидуальной и групповой терапией существует большое различие между

консультированием персонала другой компании или персонала своей компании. Между

деловым консультированием и терапией проходит очень хрупкая разделительная линия,

поэтому Гештальт консультант обязан остановиться перед этой линией и ясно сказать

работникам, где кончается предпринимательство и начинается терапия. Каждый работник

вправе сказать «стоп» перед этой линией.

Во второй части дипломной работы представлены 15 исследований на

конкретных примерах из моей ежедневной практики по применению Гештальт методики в

компании. Исследования на конкретных примерах проводились по различным проектам в

разных странах: Литве, Латвии, Швеции и Дании. Во всех примерах описываются

некоторые проблемы, существующие в канцелярии или в проекте одной компании,

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имеющей филиалы в Латвии и Литве, а один из примеров связан с отношениями между

двумя компаниями в одном литовском проекте. Эти примеры позволяют анализировать

реальные различия и сходства между работой Гештальт психотерапевта, Гештальт

консультанта и управляющего по людским ресурсам.

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Review by Supervisor of the Certification Paper

Сертификационная работа Бригиты Калецкайте представляет собой вид

тематической работы, основанной на реальной практике. Она посвящена узкому аспекту

применения гештальттерапии в рамках конкретной специализации: „Преминение

гештальподхода в оргонизации: работа с человеческими ресурсами” („Gestalt

approach in organizations: working with human resources”). Бригита Калецкайте является

специалистом в данной области и имеет реальный практический опыт работы в ней.

Структура работы включает девять части, содержание которых свидетельствует о

хорошей ориентации автора теме оронизацеонного консультирования, а также

способностях ее анализировать с позиций теории и методологии гештальттерапии.

Автором усвоены основные понятия данного направления психотерапии, а приводимые в

работе описания реальных случаев из практики указывают также на его способность

применять теорию гештальттерапии в организации своей практической работы в качестве

гештальтспециолиста и демонстрируют грамотное использование соответствующей

профессиональной терминологии.

Содержание сертификационной работы свидетельствует о том, что ее автором

глубоко проанализирован достаточный объем литературы по гештальттерапии и методом

оргонизационного консультирования, позволяющий компетентно осуществлять анализ

поднимаемых в работе проблем в облости человеческих ресурсов оргонизации.

Сертификационная работа Бригиты Калецкайте логична, структурирована и

содержит как личные рассуждения и выводы автора, так и ссылки на первоисточники. Ее

отличает авторский стиль изложения, аналитичность.

Работа оформлена в соответствии с требованиями, предъявляемыми к выпускным

работам РГИ. Ее качество соответствует искомой квалификации гештальтпрактика с

правом работать гештальттерапевтом под супервизией в процессе обучения на третьей

ступени программы РГИ.

Руководитель сертификационной работы

Артур Домбровский

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Introduction

I am describing in this certification paper Gestalt approach in organizations from my

theoretical background as a student in Riga Gestalt Institute and as a human resources manager

(later HRM) in one of the biggest IT companies in the Baltic region. My practical experience

working in international information systems implementation projects in Latvia, Sweden and

Denmark allows me to apply Gestalt to broader international employees’ community and it also

gives me an opportunity to compare how Gestalt methods are used in Scandinavian and in the

Baltic countries. But as I am working inside the company, it narrows my possibility to use many

Gestalt intervention methods.

I am starting this paper with a short introduction to Gestalt psychotherapy, and then I’m

touching business consulting and using psychotherapy methods in business in general in all over

the world. I also provide some thoughts regarding differences in being Gestalt consultant in

organizations from outside and working as Gestalt consultant in a managerial position inside the

company. As there is a difference in having individual or group therapy, there is also a big

difference between consulting employees of another company or in your own company. I have

also still not found any research done in using Gestalt approach in HR manager position.

The second part of the certification work provides 15 practical case descriptions from

my daily practical experience in applying Gestalt in the company. These cases allow you to

explore the real differences and similarities between Gestalt psychotherapist, Gestalt consultant

and HR manager work.

Nowadays there are many ways of using psychotherapy. Ken Evans, a president of the

European Association for Gestalt Therapy (EAGT) provokes community of psychotherapist to

concentrate not only on the relationship therapist – client, but also actively participate in social

and business life. “The world of the therapy room can no longer ignore the world outside the

therapy room, which impinges directly or indirectly on therapist and client alike…. We are too

preoccupied with the intrapsychic and attend only to the interpersonal insofar as it relates to the

therapist-client dyad. ” [5, p.191] This paper is also a small contribution of Gestalt to the world

outside the therapy room.

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Business Consulting and Psychotherapy

Business consulting services are expanding tremendously in Lithuania and Latvia

during the last ten years. There are so many consulting companies offering different kind of

trainings, organizational consultant services and coaching.

I am working as a human resource manager in one of the biggest IT companies in the

Baltic region and also studying at Riga Gestalt Institute. My position being on both sides,

business and consulting, allows me to evaluate quality of business consulting services from both

sides. There is a big gap between these two polarities in Latvia and Lithuania. Most of the HR

and business consultants have good knowledge in psychology but they do not have

understanding about doing business. They come to companies, make presentations about

theoretical part in business without having practical experience. Mostly they bring theory read

from business books and literature. But most of the organizations are looking for consultants

with practical business experience, not only with understanding about human relations and

psychology. Business people also read business literature.

From my practical experience and observations I totally agree that there are some myths

in organizational theories and practice, there is no ideal organization as there is no perfect human

being. Only consultants having practical experience in doing business can understand how

theories really differ from the real life situations. I am thoroughly persuaded that knowing

business practically is the primary requirement for a business consultant and only the secondary

requirement is psychology and business theory. Currently is vice versa in Lithuania and Latvia.

This is a reason why mature Baltic companies are using consulting services from West Europe

instead of having a local consultant. Of course, a consultant must be selected very carefully, as

not all consultants are experts in doing business too. Also in the 9th European Conference on

Gestalt Therapy in Athens (Greece) I have noticed that there two groups of Gestalt business

consultants: those who has a deep understanding of psychotherapy but no business and those

who are also excellent in companies management.

During the last 20-30 years it is very popular to use psychotherapy methods in business

consulting. It is very used in the USA and West Europe countries such as Denmark, Sweden, the

Netherlands an UK, Belgium and Germany. This trend is aligned with the business requirements

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– currently the social skills (SQ) are the most valued skills in employees. Intensive global

competition among companies, narrow specialization of employees, orientation to work in 2-3

years projects jumping from one field to another requires of employees having good personal

and social skills. 40 years ago it was usual to measure employees’ IQ. 15-10 years ago there was

EQ the most valued thing in organizations. And now personal ability to work with other people,

good communication skills and analytical thinking are the main requirements for employees in

organizations. Only knowledge from books is not valid any more, know – how and social skills

are the most valued characteristics in employees.

This trend also influences a rush development of using psychotherapy methods in

business. Big corporates and organizations invest a lot into employee’s personal growth as it

helps to eliminate some psychological conflicts or problems, improve communication and

accelerate business process in organizations, create a positive working environment.

Manfred F.R.Kets de Vries, one of the famous business consultants in the USA using

psychotherapy and psychoanalysis in organizations, has noticed that organizations reflect the

inner world of the director in the company. “Keliaudamas šiais menkai pramintais takais,

pastebėjau aiškų ir nepaprastai įdomų ryšį tarp organizacijos vadovų asmeninių tikslų ir pačios

organizacijos tikslų. Vadovo vidinės psichologinės temos dažnai nulemia ir organizacijos

struktūrą ar prioritetus. Toks glaudus ryšys randasi todėl, kad mes esame tai, apie ką galvojame.

Kitaip tariant, visa mūsų esybė kyla kartu su mintimis; jomis formuojame savo pasaulį.

Suvokimas toks svarus, kad objektyvumas yra ne kas kita, kaip užmaskuotas subjektyvumas“

[48, 3 p.]. The author says that going from company to another he has noticed that personal goals

of the director are close related with the goals of the company. The main psychological themes

inside the director influence the structure and goals of the company. This connection between the

company and director is because we are what we think about. I and my thoughts make one unit.

Our objectivity is veiled subjectivity. I totally agree with the author. Our company has 8 different

departments managed by different department managers. I mean different talking about

managers as personalities. Their department members are so similar to their department

managers in life style, believes, talking manner, working and personal style. If I send any new

candidate to any department manager having different values, attitudes or style of life, no one is

employed.

Business is performed by people. People have their emotions, feelings, limits, problems,

attitudes and everything is transferred to organizational life. The manner of how you look at your

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manager may seem at of how you look/looked at one of your parents. The problem in team work

may be similar to a problem which exists in the family. Even not to mention that most the

methods applied in family therapy can be applied to companies without any additional adoption.

An organization can be analyzed as an intimate system, a family; a team is a family, a board of

directors is a family; manager and employee relationship is relationship in a family.

There are many myths described in management books and taught at business schools

and universities. Business myths started with first books about management published in the 19th

century by Frederick Taylor, who is regarded as the father of scientific management and as one

of the first management consultants, describing about organizations and working processes as

rational, mechanic, conscious and easy predictive phenomenon. But the most decisions in

organizations are made irrational, employees have emotions and feelings, most of the

communication patterns come from families and past, good leadership theories do not raise

leaders.

This is another reason why psychotherapy in different forms is coming to business.

Creative thinking, emotions, relationships, life and work balance – these are the most popular

topics nowadays in business. Non-therapeutic interventions are used not only in organizations; it

is used educational, social and medical institutions. Hospitals, prisons, the Army, drug

dependency units, social services for the abused, church and any illnesses societies (AIDS,

cancer, diabetes) are using it. “Human science has penetrated and become accepted in all sectors.

This helps to facilitate contact and communication, manage conflicts, stimulate motivation,

cooperation, creativity and innovation; at all levels of hierarchy (managers, professionals,

employees and workers” [7, p. 39-40]. Only reading psychological books and articles do not

change person’s behavior or thinking. It takes time to assimilate and use in practice what have

you read.

There are different types of consultancy using psychotherapy in business: personal

employee consulting one-to-one, group consulting, consulting for personal growth, consulting to

solve some personal problems, a short or a long term employee’s coaching by psychotherapist,

managers’ group therapy in one organization one time a week, group therapy for CEO on

weekends and etc. Also different types of psychotherapy can be used in business: cognitive or

music psychotherapy, NLP, transactional analysis, psychodrama, psychoanalysis, analytical or

behavior psychotherapy, logotherapy or Gestalt psychotherapy or many other.

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Gestalt psychotherapy has a wider scope as the psychotherapy in the usual sense. It can

be compared with “out of box thinking” training as it brings to a person a new vision of the

world and develops the personal resources, creativity and a new art of living.

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Introduction to Gestalt Psychotherapy

Gestalt therapy can be also called imaginary psychodrama, as here-and-now therapy,

existential psychoanalysis, integrative psychotherapy or contact therapy, is an existential and

experiential psychotherapy. It concentrates on the individual's experience in the present moment,

the therapist-client relationship, and the environmental and social contexts in which these things

happens, and people make self-regulating adjustments as a result of the overall situation. Gestalt

psychotherapy emphasizes personal responsibility.

Gestalt therapy is not a new or modern therapy method. It is one of officially recognized

psychotherapy methods in the world. It is also one of about 15 recognized psychotherapy

methods in the Baltic region. Gestalt Institutes are established in all over the world (almost each

country has one institute, not to mentioned that in some countries there are more than 5 Gestalt

institutes, e.g. in Germany, France, USA). Fritz and Laura Perls founded the first Gestalt

Institute in New York City in 1952. Gestalt Institutes in former Soviet Union countries are

started to establish since 1990: Riga Gestalt Institute (Latvia). Gestalt Institute Minsk

(Byelorussia), Tartu Gestalt Institute (Estonia), some institutes in Russia (the most famous are in

Moscow and Sant Petersburg) and other Gestalt institutes or study centers. The European

Association for Gestalt Therapy (EAGT) is thriving and draws multiple hundreds to its

internationals conferences. The European Association for Gestalt Therapy (EAGT) was founded

in 1985, with the aim of gathering European individual Gestalt therapists, Training Institutes and

National Associations, of promoting Gestalt therapy in Europe, combining and exchanging

knowledge and resources, fostering a high professional standard for Gestalt therapy and

encouraging research. Today it is having many institutional and individual members from many

European countries.

The Association for the Advancement of Gestalt Therapy is an international community

(AAGT), unifying many Gestalt psychotherapist in the USA.

Gestalt therapy was co-founded by Fritz Perls, Laura Perls and Paul Goodman in the

1940s–1950s. I am not going to tell in this paper biography of Fritz Perls, “father” of this

therapy, it can be found in each book about Gestalt psychotherapy. It is only worth to mention

that Gestalt roots as also the roots of other kind of psychotherapies lies in psychoanalysis of

S.Freud.

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Gestalt therapy was influenced not only psychological concepts but also it was shaped

by many other movements or science in the 20th century: Gestalt psychology, physics, Kurt

Lewin's systems and field theory, Zen Buddhism, psychodrama by Jacob Moreno, existential

phenomenology, theatrical performance, Martin Buber's philosophy of relationship and dialogue

(I - Thou), European phenomenology of Franz Brentano, Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger,

and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, the existentialism of Kierkegaard and Sartre, body and art therapy.

In addition Gestalt was a response to the social forces in society: the late 50s–60s movement

toward personal growth and the human potential movement. Gestalt therapy can be compared

with life style or philosophy. It is an art of living, not only a treatment method.

As it was mentioned before the therapy focuses on the moment-to-moment awareness,

living here-and-now, process what is going on. Gestalt Therapy is a growth oriented and

relational approach to assist people to enhance their development of self-awareness, to explore

and experience new options for living a fulfilling and meaningful life. Gestalt Therapy embodies

a holistic perspective, embracing a person's physical, psychological, intellectual, emotional,

interpersonal and spiritual experience. The aim is to be fully present in the here and now, to

attain full energetic expression in dealing with daily life and be fully who we are in body, mind

and spirit.

Since 1990 the literature focused on Gestalt therapy has flourished, including the

development of several professional Gestalt journals. Along the way, Gestalt therapy theory has

also been applied in organizational development and coaching work. Thus, currently, Gestalt

therapy training institutes often offer programs in both clinical and organization tracks. Gestalt is

also going the same transformation as our society. The world is changing; Gestalt is changing

and getting new forms too.

In fact, F. Perls considered his method too good to be reserved for the ill and the odd,

and he often spoke of it as “therapy for normal people”[7, p.3]. An increased awareness of

contact with others and the environment provides clearer opportunities for individuals to increase

the quality of their relationships and be able to discover new, creative solutions to their

wellbeing.

Nowadays Gestalt is a natural, universal approach, for people of all ages, all levels,

from diverse cultural background and in a variety of situations. … [7, p.4]

Gestalt therapy is used in a variety of situations, with multiple aims:

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individual psychotherapy

couple therapy

family therapy

sexual therapy

group therapy

in organizations

in business [7, p. 3]

As this paper is concentrated on Gestalt approach in organizations, there will be further

introduction to the main concepts of Gestalt psychotherapy related with used definitions in

business in other sections. The next section of the paper will deal with the main definitions in

Gestalt. Later I will describe the main concept of Gestalt consulting and present the main

definitions about Gestalt only from business consulting perspective.

Important in Gestalt psychotheraphy is this strange word Gestalt. It is from German

language. Gestalt can be translated as “form, figure, and shape”. We are also talking about

Gestalt therapy as a “theory of shape or form”. The verb “gestalten” means “to give shape or

form”. This word was taken from Gestalt psychology. Gestalt psychology says that the way we

see things follows certain rules: a global appreciation cannot be reduced to the sensory

appreciation of each component. The whole is different from the sum of its parts. At the same

time, a part within a whole is different from the part of its own, or the same part within another

whole – the part’s identity depends upon its position and function relative to the whole [7, p.1-2).

For example – if you go to your friend’s Birthday and are hungry, first you see a lot of food on

the table. You see one component from the whole picture; you discover a figure, a Gestalt from

the whole context. If your needs are human relations and you are not hungry, first you would

recognize a shape at the Birthday party – a nice girls or a strange looking secret person.

The whole our life consists of many Gestalts, closed or unfinished. The main idea in

Gestalt therapy is that each person has many unclosed Gestalts in his/her life and it influences

our life and causes many problems. The main goal of Gestalt psychotherapist is to support a

client at closing his/her Gestalts.

Gestalt therapy focuses more on process (what is happening) than content (what is being

discussed). The emphasis is on what is being done, thought and felt at the moment rather than on

what was, might be, could be, or should be.

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Gestalt therapy is a method of awareness, by which perceiving, feeling, and acting are

understood to be separate from interpreting, explaining and judging using old attitudes. This

distinction between direct experience and indirect or secondary interpretation is developed in the

process of therapy. The client learns to become aware of what they are doing psychologically

and how they can change it. By becoming aware of and transforming their process they develop

self acceptance and the ability to experience more in the "now" without so much interference

from baggage of the past.

The objective of Gestalt therapy, in addition to helping the client overcome symptoms,

is to enable him or her to become more fully and creatively alive and to be free from the blocks

and unfinished issues that may diminish optimum satisfaction, fulfillment, and growth. Thus, it

falls in the category of humanistic psychotherapies.

Gestalt is not about talking and analyzing. Gestalt is about making and experiencing. It

supports the client to make experiments and discover something new instead of the mere talking

about the possibility of something new.

The theory of self, contact cycle, resistance and awareness are the main things to

introduce. “Theory of self is about the theory of a notion – the self – which does not even exists”

[7, p.29] The theory is about your way of being. It deals with current phenomena at the contact

boundary, between your immediate environment and you. Our contacts as also our life happen in

cycles. Fritz Perls, Hefferline and Goodman have presented in his book four main time frames

organized around the cycle: forecontact, contacting, full contact and post-contact. Other Gestalt

therapists have added from 1 to 3 or more other parts in the contact cycle. S.Ginger has 5 stages,

Joseph Zinker 6 stages, Edvin Nevis 7 stages.

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http://www.gestalt.on.ca/site/page.php?id=49

As Gestalt therapy avoids as much as possible to use highly intellectual words, I will

explain this cycle with a simple example. It is said in Gestalt that using intellectual words,

rationalizations and long verbalizations belongs also to defensive mechanisms. If anybody starts

telling the stories or theories with many scientific terms and academically phrases, he/she will be

interrupted and asked to tell the same thing using simple daily words.

Come back to the cycle of self.

Sensation: feeling something is stomach.

Awareness: “I’m hungry”

Mobilization of Energy: my attention shifts from this paper to thoughts about fridge.

Excitement: I remember that I have yoghurt in the fridge.

Action: I get up and go to take it.

Contact: I eat it.

Withdrawal: I am getting pleased and can work on Gestalt certification paper.

Awareness is the key to healthy working of the Gestalt Cycle.

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S.Ginger describes with the simple words that during these stages of “Contact cycle”,

my self (as it was mentioned before my style of adapting to) works in 4 main modes that are

called in Gestalt the functions of self: id, personality, ego and middle mode. The id function

expresses the world of senses, needs and urges (e.g. hunger or sexual desire)

the personality is the my background, what is permanent in me, my personal history, my

self-image

the ego concerns my conscious and delibare choices, based on ego I make decisions

the middle mode – being neither active or passive, but both at once [7, p. 34]

In reality the contact cycle can be finished or not. It can be interrupted because of

resistance. The main defense mechanisms are introjections, projection, retroflection, deflection,

and confluence, proflection and other defense mechanisms. Each person has it everyday. It does

not mean that these mechanisms are bad habits and we have to liquidate it from our life. Actually

it is impossible. Gestalt encourages identifying these mechanisms and sort out which are not

helpful anymore. My projection for example influence my decision working as a human resource

manager as I imagine what employees’ need and continue working in direction to jolly up

employees’ daily work routine. The main defense mechanisms can be following:

Projection

Introjections

Confluence

Retroflection

Deflection

Projection is attributing one‘s own actions or feelings to another person. You can see

something on another person what you have. For example you are working on the project with

some collegues. You and another collegue, you both are responsible for project delivery. He is

unable to create a project plan and take a full responsibility of that. You are annoyed and think

that he is irresponsible. But actually you are also doing the same and acting irresponsible too.

Introjection is taking in or swallowing an experience as a "whole" without thinking or analyzing

it. It is not filtering experiences for what resonates with your personal truth. For example the

thought that „all the managers in business can not show their emotions“. This is an introject.

Who said so?

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Confluence is inability to differentiate oneself from another person, there is no

boundary between you and me. For example, having the same opinion with other

employees‘opinion to avoid having to speak in publicity, often it is perceived as a “yes” person

with no personal opinion.

Retroflection is doing to yourself what you want to do to other people, or what you want

others to do to you. For example, swallowing anger to avoid conflict in the office.

Deflection is avoiding direct contact with another person, devaluate many serious and important

moments in your life. For example your colleague can tell you jokes all the time and do not

speak about his feelings.

Gestalt Psychotherapy in Organizations

Gestalt Approach: Basic Definitions in Business

The basic definitions and principals of Gestalt theory are applied in organizational

development too. There are also the same definitions as contact cycle of experience,

intervention, process, resistance, presence, awareness and other terms.

As I have mentioned before Gestalt is not a traditional psychotherapy as most of us used

to think. Gestalt therapy is indicated not for mentally ill, but for people having difficulties at any

period in their lives or just want to enrich the quality of life. Maybe for these reasons Gestalt

therapy has been progressively introduced in much different kind of organizations. For example

S.Ginger describes in his book a typical example of applying Gestalt in organization: French

National Subway corporation with 38 000 people decided to train Paris Metro workers to

fundamentals of Gestalt training called “coming into contact” in order to improve employees and

customers communication. The training consisted of theoretical and practical parts and each

employee attended 5-days training. [7, p.42] This was not the last time when Paris Gestalt

Institute organized training for big organizations. There are many more examples when Gestalt

psychotherapists are working in different companies. Even in Lithuania time to time I notice

some consultants who have attended Gestalt training seminars in Russia or Scandinavian

countries.

“Guru of Gestalt consulting” can be named Edwin Nevis, who has started practicing

Gestalt in business long time ago and described the baseline for other Gestalt practitioners. He

also has been working for a long time in the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland (USA). The institute

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was established in 1954 by some of the earliest students of Fritz Perls, Laura Perls, Isadore

Fromm, and Paul Goodman. In 1966, GIC began introducing training programs that pioneered

the application of Gestalt theory to work with couples, families, groups, and organizations. Most

of the best Gestalt consultants started their career at this institute. Nowadays there are more than

50 Gestalt institutions all over the world preparing business consultants.

A book “Organizational Consulting: A Gestalt Approach” published by Edwin Nevis in

1987 describes the main principals of Gestalt consulting and it layed the foundation for using

Gestalt in business. The book introduces the main concept and the main definitions developed

later by other researchers. He describes Gestalt therapy as a conceptual and methodological base

from which helping professionals can craft their practice. He took the first the main definitions

from Gestalt therapy and introduced it to business world.

I will introduce the following Gestalt definitions from business perspective: contact,

cycle of experience intervention, resistance, process, presence, awareness, experiment and modes

of influence.

I am starting with cycle of experience. Gestalt psychotherapy appeals to the model of

contact which was described in this paper, in the section about the main Gestalt definitions. The

cycle describes what is happening with a person each moment with him/herself, environment,

and another person or group pf people. The cycle includes the following five phases (depending

on authors the number of phases is different): awareness, energy, action, contact, withdrawal. To

have a fully satisfying contact or to be fully present, all phases need to be experienced by a

person. It is possible to block a full experience of contact through specific behaviors called

resistances, such as projection, introjections, retroflection and confluence, which were also

described in details before. People use these resistances at different parts in the cycle of

experience with the result that contact is closed or minimized. The role of Gestalt consultant is to

raise resistances to the level of awareness so that more can be learned about them and the

potential for choosing differently can be increased.

Awareness is the full use of senses, it is a process what is happens in your field. It is

how we contact, how we feel, what we think. Gestalt consultant is awareness expert.

The main instrument of Gestalt is being with an employee at the same time, experience

awareness and observe environment. Nevis defines presence in terms of consulting work as. . .

“the living embodiment of knowledge: the theories and practices believed to be essential to bring

about change in people are manifested, symbolized or implied in the presence of the consultant.”

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It is . . . the living out of values in such a way that in taking a stance, the intervener teaches these

important concepts. That which is important to the client’s learning process is exuded through

the consultant’s way of being. [13, p. 69-70]

Consultant can make influence. Nevis presents two modes of influence from which a

practitioner may choose: evocative and provocative. The evocative mode involves guiding

clients’ awareness to what is already happening, with the assumption that a heightened

awareness of the current state will produce new learning, decisions and behavior. A provocative

stance involves using a forceful intervention to cause something to happen. An example would

be confronting behavior. Any similar intervention that would cause an interruption of what is

happening with a call to focus sharply on whatever it is the consultant would like the group to

focus on is a provocative intervention.

Why to use Gestalt at organizations? It can improve relationships leading to more open

contact with each other. It makes fewer conflicts and helps to learn how to manage it. It can

create more honest environment and importance of what is going at the current situation. It can

be mentioned many reasons but the most important is personal development of each employee.

Usual business consulting speaks “business language”, it offers measurable results, Gestalt

speaks “Gestalt language” and brings awareness, process, and integrated approach to employees.

Gestalt consultant has to attend and observe a company and explore own feelings and thoughts.

He/she should focus on energy on client system, facilitate contact and support client.

He collects data about the company at “the present time” and mirrors and sharpens

client behavior.

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Gestalt Consulting

Gestalt therapy and consulting in organizations are quiet new phenomena. Their basic

assumptions and definitions are created from Gestalt therapy theory from period of 1930-1965. It

was totally a new approach how to treat an employee. It was a revolution in business world.

“Gestalt therapy and organizational development are relatively new phenomena that derived their

basic assumptions from theories evolved during the period of 1930 – 1965. The development of

both approaches emerged of both in a time dominated by liberalism in intellectual, social,

political, economic, and technological thinking.” [12, p.110] It has later shifted to interventions

and action. Nevis called this period “conservativism” (1965-1995). Everyone sees that

globalization and emerging markets influence organizational and social changes in the world. It

means that organizations are also changing. What was really new in organizations for 30 years, it

is not new nowadays. During the period of 1945-1965 business consulting was focused on

awareness development. Integration of humanism and business requirements is characteristic for

the period 1965 – 1980. Most recently emphasis is on cost – cutting, productivity, organizational

renewal and change management. All these trends changes also Gestalt approach in business.

Nobody knows so far how organizations will look like in 10 years, but one thing is clear - if

Gestalt theory will be not developed in parallel with global changes, it will be not useful for

business.

Why Gestalt consulting? How it is different from usual business consulting and why

any company should buy Gestalt consulting services?

The main areas of Gestalt work are the following: relationships in systems, relationships

in the context of the field, being „here-and-now“, awareness, meaningful contact, working with

boundaries.

The main products consultant can offer: awareness, expression, creativity, trust, insight,

orientation, ability to deal with polarities, meaning, support, long-term solution, new vision,

integration, courage to stay here and now, better communication, change. So, Gestalt can offer

skills, tools and support, use a self as an instrument.

Methods: increasing awareness, dialogue, present-centered, not getting confluent,

exploration, exercises, feedback, respect, independency, sharing and coaching.

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Uniqueness of Gestalt consultant is authencity, contact, perceiving of whole. Benefits of

business: open doors, awareness, change.

I agree with it, but I have some doubts in using it in IT field. Top management of my

company is used to see at figures and key performance indicators. They would not buy such type

of consulting services from outside, because this is a long term-solution and it is hard to apply

any measurement system to evaluate project success at the end of the project. I also doubt if

other companies oriented to delivery on time (result-oriented) would spend much time and

money for employee’s self-development. I do not say that top management is against these ideas.

No, they realize that it is important but it is not priority number one. There is no time for that

when people are working 12-14 hours daily to meet delivery targets and market needs.

EAGT creates standards for Gestalt in organizations. Currently it is mainly organized

and focused on Gestalt psychotherapy standards. But it is a growing need to separate training of

Gestalt psychotherapist and consultants. „The practitioner using the Gestalt principles however

has another function then the therapist using the same principles. The field of this practitioner is

working in demands besides the same principals with different expertise and skills, because of

the different field – function this practitioner is fulfilling. “[4]

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Human Resources Management and Consulting

In the section above there was discussed how Gestalt can be used in Business consultant

work. Most of the literature in Gestalt is focused on consulting organizations from outside.

Mostly Gestalt therapist can work as consultant, coach, instructor and trainer.

Human resource manager is a person inside the company. It makes situation little bit

different.

The role of human resource management is increasing as organizations are changing

and are focusing on humans in organization. The range and scope of HRM activities are very

wide and it may contain the following functions:

Human resource planning

Recruitment, selection, induction

Salary and wage administration including reward systems

Organizational design and patterns of work

Education, training, development

Employee relations

Employee services, welfare, health and safety. [11]

Mostly if a company is big, HR manager shares responsibility with line managers. Line

managers are responsible for their own staff day-to-day operations, technical knowledge of staff

and working conditions. HR manager provides expertise and advice and has broader aspects

affecting all staff and organization as a whole.

Companies face today five big challenges: globalization, growth, technology,

intellectual capital, change. These challenges provide HR with possibility to play one of the most

important roles in the company. But HR must know principals of business not only psychology

and human nature. HR should become:

A partner with senior and line managers in strategy execution

An expert in the way work is organized and executed to ensure costs and quality.

a champion for employees, devoting him/herself to employees

catalyst for organizational change

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As know-how matters, human beings are important in organizations. HR professionals

have the opportunity to add values to business.

Browning, for example, lists ten ways to make HR effective:

1. be the catalyst for making things happen

2. avoid being the corporate soft touch

3. understand the whole business

4. keep people-management system simple

5. remember, line managers manage people, not HR

6. work with, not above, line managers

7. be super efficient in the transactional stuff

8. be leaders in the transactional stuff

9. help the business to manage change

10. accept that good “people ideas” exist outside HR. [11]

There is a tendency in business to put a human being in the front of each company.

Person, spirituality, life and work balance, green philosophy and emotions are valued. With this

trend the profession of HRM is becoming more valued too. And again – the companies are

creating the myth that HR manager is “mother Teresa”, a person to talk with for all employees.

What kind of personality should be Gestalt consultant?

Nevis outlines five basic roles / activities of Gestalt – oriented consultant:

1. To attend to the client system, observe, and selectively share observations of what you

see, hear, feel.

2. To attend to your own experiences (feelings, sensations, thoughts) and selectively share

these, establishing your presence in doing so.

3. To focus on energy in the client system and emergence of or lack of issues (common

figures) for which there is energy: to act to support mobilization of energy (joining) so

that something happens.

4. To facilitate clear, meaningful, heightened contacts between members of the client

system (including contact with you).

5. to help the group achieve heightened awareness of its process in completing units of

work, and to learn how to complete units of work so as to achieve closure around

problem areas of unfinished business. [13]

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I believe that none of us, HR managers or Gestalt consultants, can ever achieve perfect

instrumentality. We can begin and continue the journey towards perfect instrumentality, but we

can never complete it. I hope that being HR and being business consultant requires the same

things except one – status changes the method of work. I like the idea of Hynek Vakenta, a

Gestalt consultant from the Czech Republic. According To his presentation at the 9th conference

of the European Association for Gestalt Therapy, Gestalt in organizations can be used in 3

phases:

the first phase - it can be used as an internal tool (Gestalt is invisible)

the second phase – a way of communication (Gestalt is slightly visible)

The third phase - as a way of perceiving the organization (Gestalt is fully visible).

In my HR work I can use mostly the methods where Gestalt is invisible, and only with a

few employees Gestalt can be used as slightly visible.

As I have mentioned before that looking at the situation now in my company I realize

that people are overworked. They spend all the efforts and time to reach the best results. But

employees are frustrated, have no time for families and themselves. As HR manager I see the

problem that there is big lack on resources. As Gestalt psychotherapist or consultant I see that

many our employees are faced with a big amount of personal problems. If they will start working

on it, they will quit working in our company. This point also relates with a different positions in

organization – being external or internal consultant.

27

HRM and Gestalt Approach in My Organization

(Introduction to Practical Part)

I have been working for 4 years in one of the biggest IT companies in the Baltic region. It

is an international company operating in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland. The company

operates in three core areas: application software development, enterprise systems implementation

and consulting, IT support and training. Currently we employ more than 400 professionals in four

countries; about 70% of them are men.

I started working here as a project coordinator in international system implementation

projects. It allowed me to explore working and living culture in Latvia, Sweden and Denmark.

Since August 2007 I have been working as a head of human resource department in Lithuania.

Exactly from that moment I have started to focus on organizational consulting during my studies

in Riga Gestalt Institute.

I worked as a teacher at American International School before. My main areas were

German, Social Studies, and Lithuania as a foreign language. I had no special psychological

praxis, but being with children and their parents as a classroom teacher for 4 years I have learnt

many practical things in psychology.

Reflecting the past year of experience using Gestalt approach in IT organizations I can

point some trends related with my psychotherapy studies and employees. Half of IT specialists in

my company are not ready to accept psychotherapy as intended to support people in their daily

life. They often ask me if I cure mentally ill people and do not trust me during communication

process. This type of employees relates psychotherapy with magic and witchcraft. I hope that is

also because of the similar tendency in the Baltic region, as psychotherapy is quite a new

discipline after fall of Soviet Union. I have noticed for example that many employees in Denmark

and Sweden take psychotherapy without any mystical attitude. No surprise if anybody goes to

psychotherapist or any therapy method is used in business. Situation is changing also in our

country; people are getting more informed about therapy and accept it not only as for mentally ill

people.

Another part of employees in my company takes it as my additional training allowing me

to develop my personal skills to be more qualified human resources specialist. Time to time I meet

a few employees who starts calling me almost each day and asking advice what to do in one or

another situation trying to transfer their responsibility on me. This group of employees is very

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small, mostly I push them back telling that I am not going to take their problems and solve them at

one moment. If there is a need I send them to any therapist.

The fact that half of employees in IT sector are scared of psychotherapy, I have to use

Gestalt in minimal amounts. Usage of those methods can not be similar to “client-

psychotherapist” relation. Action of consulting takes place not in the safe psychotherapist room

but in the real world. This also applies to the group of employees who are ready to change and

experience something new. I always repeat that I am not a therapist and suggest doing any

experiment very carefully. Only for employees who are psychologically “mature”, I suggest any

experiment at the beginning.

I read also in the book by Manfred F.R.Kets de Vries, “Leader at psychoanalytic”, that

they organize a group therapy for CEO’s, but before the first meeting is a very long selection

process. The author sends before a very long questionnaire to a manager to find out why this

manager wants to attend group therapy. Later he meets the manager for some discussions, and

only after that process the manager is allowed or not to join the group. The author states that only

“psychologically mature” managers can get any benefits from this type of therapy – business

consulting using psychotherapy methods.

I had also an idea last year to organize a small interest group for employees’ personal

growth. But later I realized that I cannot do it inside my company. Another important thing what

influences my Gestalt work is status in the company. As I am human resource manager, most of

the employees can not be very open with me as they know that I am next to other managers. It is

not secure to share personal problems with me. Also project or department managers will not

show me their sensitive part of life – they are independent, intelligent, aggressive and competent

in their field. If they ask for help, mostly they ask for help to their department members, but not

for themselves. It is not usual in business to speak about emotions, feelings and personal

problems. Everyone concentrates on speech, logical sentences and figures. Of course, all

employees are human beings, but another side of humans which is not showed at work, is present

at home, with friends or at psychotherapist.

So, the main four factors: IT sector, Baltic region, employees’ readiness for therapy and

my status inside the company influence my usage of Gestalt approach in the company. I have very

limited spectrum of methods. That is why I work sometimes not in any place in the company, but

in the bar or restaurant. As I have noticed employees feel more secure to speak about

psychological things outside the company.

29

Actually, “real” Gestalt consulting is outside the company. It provides more opportunities

to practice, not to mention client-therapist process in psychotherapy room. Mostly Gestalt

consulting is outside the company as consultant has to be someone who is not in a client system.

But even working with a short steps it is possible to see how it can greatly improve relationships at

work and enables employees to operate with a greater awareness and clarity. Of course it leads to

more open and clear communications. It does not lead to rapid changes in the whole company, but

it makes little changes in an employee what really affects working community.

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GESTALT IN PRACTICE

Case 1 – Working with Projections (Lithuania)

I had a meeting with a new candidate Tomas. I read his CV before he came to our

meeting and felt sympathy with this man. He has on his CV similar facts in his life as mine. He

was jumping in his life from one study field to another; he is changing his job each 2nd or 3rd

year. He has Bachelor in Physics, Master of Arts in Management, worked as a German translator

at German Court, was a consultant at Youth Psychological Aid Centre, now is in IT business, has

international working experience, and also has similar hobbies and interests as mine. I have also

finished German studies, worked with international communities, studying Gestalt

psychotherapy and switched to IT business. We were both from Vilnius, not married and of

similar age. These intersections made on me a good impression about the candidate.

Tomas came and the meeting was good, we had an interesting nice talk, we understood

each other very quickly, found many similarities in our lives, and I was pleased with the

candidate. After 20 minutes of the “discussion” I stepped back to analyze the situation what is

happening now, why do I have such a warm feeling during the whole process. I have noticed that

I do not let the candidate talk. I talked most of the time and shared my experience with him

without asking him to share his life and work experience. I was rather more focused on our

similarities than speaking about sales position and working requirements. I realized that I have

already decided to offer him an employment agreement without exploring him.

What was it? There were my projections on Tomas. I abolished the boundaries between

my and candidate’s environment and I was not able to evaluate Tomas critically. I saw in him me

and evaluated him as having the same character features as I have. I started feeling “the same” as

he did.

I proposed in me solution: stop talking, ask him questions, listen and observe him. Reject

my confluence and be open to a process. I expected to have a candidate qualification profile

without my predescriptions after that.

I stopped talking, started asking Tomas questions and listening to him without any

prepossession understanding that he is not me and he is having a different unique life experience.

He was talking and I started to analyze not as a similar person, but as a future sales manager

31

asking him questions about his achievements in his work. I found not just positive but also his

negative sides during the meeting.

My knowledge about resistance, about my projections, supported me during the

evaluation of a new candidate. I could be more critical and was able to see what I see but not

what I want. My unbiased evaluation form, of course containing also good things about Tomas,

was sent to Sales department manager. Department manager met Tomas, but he was not

employed.

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Case 2 – Evaluation Experiment (Lithuania)

During a short discussion in the office with me, a project manager and project member

arose one problem. Project member Vita was not pleased with it that she is not getting evaluation

feedback from her project manager Dainius how she is performing in the project. Project

manager is not able to dedicate time on project members’ evaluation because of daily load

dealing with the customer. Vita was annoyed with the manager; manager was also dissatisfied

with critics.

We were three sitting in one room. As it was evening and no one else was in the project

room I offered a short simple experiment for them. Each of them says 3 positive and then 3

negatives things. This evaluation must be performed only from project side perspective – no

comments or critics outside project boundaries. When one speaks, other is not allowed to

comment, he/she can only listen. Vita is starting, project manager is the second. This method

came to me from Gestalt practice with family members then one of the family members talk,

anoother should listen. Note: both participants knew that I am studying at Gestalt Institute. They

agreed with the experiments, but they also have started the process with defense mechanism –

introject. They thought that “psychotherapist can see through any person and understand what is

going on in him/her”. Vita trusted me, Dainius – not. I took care for Vita and supposed that the

project manager is strong enough and ready to cope with the situation (my projection).

I expected to have pleased Vita having desired feedback on her work from the project

manager.

I sat between both participants and monitored the process. Vita started to name 3 best

and 3 bad things in project manager. Of course it was harder to name positive side of each

person, as in our culture we are used to talk more about negative sides of our work. After Vita

has finished, Dainius started to do the same regarding her. Vita’s face started to shine as she was

hearing good things about her, and she was also ready to hear constructive feedback from the

project manager about her performance what must be improved in the future. There was much

energy in their contact. Vita was in confluence with the project manager, and his evaluation was

for her very important as she was not able to evaluate herself without his comments.

33

Dainius started to shout on me at the same time the experiment was finished. It has

started in the fourth contact cycle phase, during disengagement. He was shouting almost 5

minutes with the statements that I am not a good psychotherapist. Project manager has expressed

clearly the function of personality; he has a very low self-esteem. But he has an image that

project manager must be strong, without emotions, fearless. Because of this introject he

interrupts the contact and starts shouting. I let him shout and did not say any word as it was not

therapy session, I was not able to start explaining to Darius what is happening now with him as

Vita was also sittng next to him. We were at the line where business ends and therapy starts. I am

not crossing this line, because I am working in the same company and I am not doing

psychotrepy with my employees. He stopped shouting, and we finished the process.

Only after a few months later I have reminded Dainius about that situation. He

remembered it good and we have analyzed what was happening on that day. We also started to

speak about introject that project manager has to be strong and what does it mean to be strong to

him. His father was always a leader in the family, and he always repeated to Dainius that he is a

weak boy, if he wants to reach something he must be strong and without any emotions among

other people.

We have never worked with Dainius on that later.

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Case 3 – “Hot Chair” in Marketing (Sweden)

One of the biggest Swedish Insurance companies was creating a new insurance product

for young generation between age of 25 and 40. There was an initial project phase and every

project member was busy with it how this product should look like. All project members were at

kick-of meeting. About 40 people were divided into small group to work on the product from the

different perspectives: marketing, branding, information systems, product and sales.

As almost all of the project members were the same age of the target group - “hot chair”

method was proposed to use during the brainstorming about the product. It was possible to do in

Sweden, as Gestalt methods are used quiet often in Swedish organizations and most of the

people working in business know the main Gestalt principles. This experiment allows us to

gather many creative ideas for project implementation.

Each group members sat on the “hot chair” and answered to the questions about

insurance product. The project manager was moderator of the process. The questions were asked

spontaneously, e.g. “why do you need to insure tickets to the concerts? Do you often go to the

concert? What kind of music do you like? Why Madonna is so attractive to you? What does she

reminds you about? Do you have a girlfriend? What looks your daily life like? Etc.)

Many ideas about future product were gathered, sorted and used in marketing campaign.

In this experiment took part employees from Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania and Latvia. Swedes

and Danes accepted this experiment as a usual part of business, almost all of them knew what

“hot chair” method is. Lithuanian and Latvian IT specialist were impressed by the experiment

and creative approach, especially psychotherapy methods has being started to use in the Baltic

region recently.

Every group member was involved and interested. Marketing research got many fresh

ideas which were used and are used by selling the product. You can look for the project delivery

at www.atava.se

35

Case 4 – Working with Projections (Sweden)

Initial situation: I was involved in the project and have noticed by observing the project

members that were some simple communication issues in the project and it could be simply

improved if the project members would notice that

Proposed Solution: to present the main concept of Gestalt therapy, introducing some basics

about resistance and body language.

Expected result: improved communication in the project.

Experiment: this time it was more theoretically based experiment. First of all I was just talking

about it to the project manager, we had during the month some discussions regarding his body

language, we analyzed together his participation at the meeting with he customer and his

presentation skills. I have also introduced him definitions of projections, introjects and

confluence. It was not done at the same day, but step by step with practical examples analysis.

Outcome: the project manager got very interested to analyze behavior of him and project

members. There was always a situation that project members are claiming the customer that the

project does not go smoothly because any employee has not finished his/her task. After the

introduction on projections, the project manager asked first the project member in such a

situation: “OK, I understand that that project member from the customer has not completed 5

tasks. But let’s start first with the question: what tasks have you not finished?”

Method evaluation: It improved communication in the project. Also other project members got

involved in observation of other people and their body language.

The Gestalt therapist contrives experiments that lead the client to greater awareness and

fuller experience of his/her possibilities. Experiments can be focused on undoing projections or

retroflection. They can work to help the client with closure of unfinished Gestalts ("unfinished

business" such as unexpressed emotions towards somebody in the client's life). There are many

kinds of experiments that might be therapeutic. But the essence of the work is that it is

experiential rather than interpretive, and in this way distinguishes itself from the psychoanalytic.

It is very important to work with boundaries to increase awareness of each project

member, to explore the field in which they are operating.

36

Usually when we use terms “they, she, you” when we mean “I”, we are projecting or

talking about ourselves. It is very important to identify what you do not like in yourself, imagine

somebody else having it.

Case 5 – Drawing Career Line (Lithuania)

Martina (22 years) wanted to talk with me, to talk about her future plans in our

company. She has been working in the company for 6 months as an administrator. This job is the

first job in his life, and she does not know what kind of job she would like to do in the future.

She has finished Bachelor studies in Philosophy and has also plans to continue Master studies,

but she has no idea what does she wants to study. Her ego function was missing in her

phenomelogy as she had not clear expressed personality function. She lacks on foundation from

which she could explain who she is in her career. I invited her for one meeting to explore her

function personality and update her self-image from perspective of her career. Updated self

image could support her ego function in choosing a right job for her.

We met in our room after working hours. Martina told me that she does not like being

administrator as most of the time she has nothing to do. Her main duties are answering company

calls, meet the guests, and prepare coffee and tea. Her days are boring and slow. She feels like a

robot. At home she is a very creative person; she makes collages, draws and creates poems.

I have noticed already before that she is an open person and ready for any creative

ideas. I invited her to make an experiment. I asked her to draw the life line and reflection on that.

I gave Martina to do one of the most popular experiments in Gestalt: to draw her own lifeline

with the task to mark all the important moments in her life related with her career, profession,

studies, and interests.

She took pencils and started to work on it without any resistance. Her mother and father,

both were doctors. Everyone in her family was persuaded that she will also study medicine. She

had the same idea till the 12th grade. She took introject from their parents that she must be a

doctor. Suddenly she realized that she has no interest to be a doctor. She went to University to

study philosophy and was very happy with it. Now she is in business and does not know where

to go. As has no idea hat she will do after studies, receives no more introjects and support from

parents, she is lost.

37

We spent together one hour analyzing her picture. I have asked many questions to help

her to find out her wishes and feelings. Mostly she had no answers to the questions. Her id

fuction is also is missing, she can not clearly feel, see and hear. I tried always to emphasize on

becoming aware of what is happening here and now without any controlling.

This “session” was only the beginning for her “career journey”. We talked also how is

important to observe herself in each life moment and explore what does she like and how does

she feel. Authentic contact with other people and environment, awareness of repeated actions

and habbits, creative adjustment encourages us to experiment with the new solutions. Gestalt

adds feeling “here and now” which motivates us to change.

4-5 months passed after the described session. She is still searching for new

opportunities in her job and has already applied for Master studies in business management at

University.

38

Case 6 – Employee and Cancer (Lithuania)

One day I have noticed that one of our employees, Rita (25 years) were out of work for

about 3 weeks. I have reached her on skype. She was just a few days after the surgery. She had

an intensive stomach ache and was brought during the night to hospital. Her womb was operated;

one of the ovarian was removed as cancer cells were founded. She has never been to hospital

before.

As I had two operations in my life and have also some experience with women sick on

cancer, I had an idea to visit Rita at home and support her. As she was a new employee in our

company, we have never had a very close relationship before.

We agreed on time, I bought flowers and sushi and went to her. At the very beginning

of our conversation we agreed that everything what we talk today about illness is confidential

and we do not share it outside this room. We were sharing our experience. Rita was talking

much, my presence and similar experience was a good resource for our contact. I have noticed

that she was talking about serious things and smiling. She was devaluating her sadness. As we

were colleagues I could not use any direct intervention to stop it. I was just present to her for

listening her.

After this visit we were also communicating on phone or skype. I had always the feeling

that she is not open with me.

She came back to work and invited me on the same day for lunch. She started to speak

that she sees no meaning in her current job. She was sure that she will die in 2-3 years and she

has overdone her preferences and goals in her life. I asked her not to rush on the first day of

return to job and we continued speaking about some company matters.

After she came back from lunch, she brought application form that she resigns. I flew

into a fury. It was the real evidence to me that she was not open to me. I felt emotional hurt

because I treated her honestly and open. But I have nothing said to her, we are colleagues.

She left the company. In a few days she has contacted me. I was still angry on her, and

as we were not colleagues anymore, I wrote her that I can not maintain with her such kind of

contact and see no future for that.

39

Rita wrote me back that she was afraid of being open and transparent to me because of

my status. She looked at me as at HR manager. And my boyfriend, who is working in the same

company as a project manager, was Rita’s direct manager. She did not feel safe in having an

open contact with me. Power of “Double status” influenced our relationship. But as she has left

the company, we became close friends.

40

Case 7 – Employee Selection and Working with Experiments (Lithuania)

On average I have 2 daily meetings with new candidates for any position in our

company. Mostly come to the meeting young men or women, IT professionals between 21 – 24

years. Our company has 8 departments working with different technologies, projects, and

different business. Also these departments have some differences in people. We have for

example 1 international department; most of the employees go to business trips from 1 week till

2 years. This department differentiates from others in flexibility. I mean almost all department

members are ready to go to business trip “here-and-now” without any additional question. Also

almost 85% of the employees are young, not married or divorced, without children, ready for

adventures. Another department, for example, focuses more on process and relationships in the

department, but not on the working results. Department members live as family members, spend

a lot of time together, and have similar hobbies and interests. Each personal event (Birthday,

finishing university, wedding) is celebrated together. Other not mentioned departments have

some distinct characteristics too.

During employee’s selection process I also pay a lot of attention on how a candidate

relates to current employees or which vision of the company he/she has. Does he/she like having

unpredicted next day? Is he/she ready to take a risk? Does he/she prefer close relionships with

humans to career? Does he/she like formal or informal communication with his/her boss? Does

he/she sees his/her job as the main part in his/her life or any hobby is more important to him/her?

And many other similar questions.

Sometimes I am also working with 4 different pictures to identify employees’

preferences. Actually I decide to use it only with more relaxed candidates, and mostly with

students. I have noticed that candidates more than 30 years old are more suspicious of doing this

experiment. Some of the candidates refused doing it.

I gave to a candidate to choose one picture from 4 which he/she likes the most and

describe what does he/she sees:

Picture showing a successful business man

Picture with mountains and a young man on skis

Picture with robot and computer

Picture with an ordinary simple young man working with PC on the street

41

If a candidate does not show resistance I go deeper with the experiment: I suggest

him/her to tell a short story from the position of being in this picture. Sometimes people break

the boundaries and tell opposite things confronting to their image before. It is harder to pretend

being perfect in process.

To my surprise statistically almost all the pictures are chosen with the same proportion.

42

Case 8 – Career Path (Lithuania)

One day one of the department managers called me and asked to meet one young

employee, actually his younger brother Mantas (22 years), and find out what is happening with

him. “No interest to work, no motivation. The company is not motivating employees, I see the

reason here. But please meet him and explain that he has to work in this company” – manager

said. The manager was not able to meet his younger brother as he is managing a project abroad,

far away from Lithuania, in South Africa.

I met Mantas at the lunch not to make him scared at the beginning and see if he can trust

me. We have never talked before. Mantas knew that I’m studying psychotherapy, so I wanted to

make his environment secure in case he also thinks that I am a “witch”.

We started with a small talk. Later he started claiming that he is not satisfied with the

working environment, with the company, with the project, with employees and also with his

department manager. He also named many things which are really negative in our company. He

feels that nobody takes care of him. I was just listening.

Then I started asking him questions “What do you want? Please tell me 3-5 things in

your life you want to achieve?” At first he was surprised; he started to name his wishes, but very

slowly. We found out that he does not know exactly what he wants. Lunch was over and we

agreed to meet one more time. I suggested doing him a test by Schein E. H. called “Career

Anchors” and see what kind of career he wants. [15; 16; 17] Nobody else can tell him what to do

in his life; he should take responsibility and take care for himself.

We met the second time and did the test. We discussed different roles and analyzed the

test carefully.

Suddenly he started to talk about his family. He has 2 elder brothers. His father is

mathematician. His both brothers finished Master in Mathematics and Informatics. Mantas had

also to study Mathematics, but nobody asked him if he wants to do it. Actually he doesn’t like

working with computer at all and he is dreaming about any other work in psychology, events

organization or film making. He does not like programming. He likes playing music, spending

43

time with people, acting and creating novels. I recommended him not to rush with the decision

and think what he wants.

He left my room and we have never had any meeting anymore. He is still working in

our company and I wonder what he has decided regarding his career plans.

44

Case 9 – Team Building Experiment (Denmark)

There was the beginning of the one-year IS implementation project in Copenhagen.

Latvians, Lithuanians, Swedish and Danish project members came to the official project kick-off

meeting. After the meeting we had to organize any activity to bring project members together, to

create an opportunity to know each other better and share values and beliefs. I have suggested a

creative experiment for the project members to live “here-and-now” and explore boundaries of

each other.

People were divided into 5 groups having team members of all nationalities. The groups

got three tasks to complete in one hour:

1. To take pictures outside the company this can introduce their team. There can be no

other people and no team members on the picture.

2. To gather as many things from the list as they can. The list consisted about 20 items as

beer can, used museum ticket, the little mermaid, green leaves and etc. It was not allowed

to buy any item; everything must be obtained with other methods.

3. To make a short presentation of the team with a picture (see task 1), slogan and song.

After this team building finishes, we have realized that team worked in different ways:

one team did all the tasks together in a row, another team made some team members responsible

for the particular task. By looking for the items, some of the people run 20 minutes till the

museum to get the used ticket, another e.g. stayed in the company building and created many

items by himself, another one – took it from the Internet. There was also an opportunity to

explore for everyone who likes working alone, who likes organizing a group, who is shy and

who is very serious.

Everyone liked the evening. It was so much energy in the room. There was a possibility

not only to know each other but also to experience the process of being now, living and creating

something right now.

45

Case 10 – Personal Coaching (Lithuania)

Dominykas (33 years) is very interested in self-development, psychology, coaching and

relationship with humans. He has joined our company recently and is one of a few employees

who pay more attention to human relations than to business or technologies.

He has about 7 years international working experience in Australia, Brazil, South

Africa, Japan and other countries. From the first day in our company he told us many stories

from his past. All the stories were unique, full of energy and jokes. But day after day many our

employees started to avoid him and were not interested in his stories anymore. He has noticed

that but was not able to understand why.

He knew that I am studying psychotherapy. Dominykas is single, living in his own

house with a cat and dog. He started to call me each evening and analyze his life. We agreed

from the very beginning regarding confidentiality. He also asked me to be his therapist, but as I

know from Gestalt practice that some sessions can evoke aggression, I did not agree to take a

role as a psychotherapist. In literature it is strongly recommended not mix two roles – business

consulting and psychotherapy, human resource management and psychotherapy, employees’

relation and client-psychotherapist relations. There is a clear line where human resource manager

or business consultant should stop and say to an employee “this is a clear moment/point that

business consulting finishes and psychotherapy starts, we shall stop here,” I did the same and

explained him the reasons. Of course I gave him phone number of another psychotherapist. We

agreed to communicate without any borders, be open and do not hide emotions as it usual in

business.

We met about for 8-10 “sessions”. And we also communicate on phone very

intensively. We analyzed his behaviour, believes, feelings and emotions. He also analyzed with

me his sessions with a real psychotherapist. As Dominykas was self-motivated to change, he did

each day huge sucses. He liked doing homework and observed his being here and now. Hi did

not know anything about Gestalt approach, but he lived according that principal. He is always in

process; he is most of the time aware of what he is doing.

Integral coaching draws on many sources: philosophy (especially 20th-century

philosophy), biology, hermeneutics, spirituality, adult development theory, neuroscience,

46

cognitive science and many more. Fundamental to this method is attending to the entire person

(body, mind, spirit, relationships, intentions, well-being, sense of belonging and meaning,

viability, and so on) and to have as the mutually shared focus the deepening development of the

client. This goes far beyond accomplishing goals and has far-reaching and long-lasting positive

effects in the client’s life. These results include a greater sense of personal efficacy, a deeper

experience of meaning and belonging, and a greater capacity to contribute.

I will not describe all the “sessions” with him. Mostly he called me at the peak of his

emotions and we analyzed what is going on: what does he feel, what does it mean to him at the

moment, and of course does it reminded him to any situation from his past.

I am in contact with him for 5-6 months; he is thankful to me that I am honest and say

the truth, I have from my side a great pleasure to work using some Gestalt methods outside the

client-psychotherapist room.

47

Case 11 – Body Language (Sweden)

Time to time I was going to the project to Stockholm where our project members from

Latvia and Lithuania are working. Most of the group leaders in this project have just started to

work in their positions, they are experts in IT field and business system they are implementing,

but they lack on communication and presentation skills, some theory and practice in psychology.

Project plans are tough; there is no time for additional training for project members.

I have started to use time at lunch and evening in the bar about body language,

presentation skills and some facts about human behavior. I have told them that I can recognize

e.g. in the bar if a couple at the table is having just a few dates or they are living together. We

were discussing all the gestures we see “here-and-now” and try to understand what it means. It

known that more that not only verbal communication is important. Vocal elements as tone of

voice, inflection and stammering tell us more about the speaker. Non-verbal elements are also of

high importance. [14]

We had no time for “normal” training. We used each minute and each time of our

presence to explore it. It was just a kick from my side, now project members are aware of what

they are speaking and how they are doing it.

The message is spreading among all the department members. Even those who have

never been to the project in Stockholm are interested in body language. One evening I heard as

the director of this business line said: “I never listen only to the speaker what he says. I observe

his body language. Not his words, but his body is the most important tool in communication”.

And I know where it has been started.

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Case 12 – Internal Portal Implementation Project (Lithuania)

Organizational Case Study Context (Company A):

One of the leading IT companies in the Baltic region;

More than 400 employees in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland;

Headquarter in Lithuania with 300 employees;

11 independent departments, 7 IT departments having their own vision, goals, projects,

technologies (other 4 without it – Sales, Administration, Finance and Training center);

Expansion in the last 2 years: from 150 to 300 people.

Issues

Change from a small company to a big company;

No written vision, attitudes, company procedures, rules and etc. Organizational culture

and traditions are only in verbal form, and nobody has time because of much work to

communicate it daily to employees;

No internal communication channel, up to date information missing;

One department member dos not know other department members.

Solution for internal communication improvement:

Implementation of internal portal for the whole company to be used daily by employees.

Note: other solutions are not analyzed in this case study, we are focusing in this paper only

on one solution.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Project from 2008.05.01 till 2008.11.15

Participants: company A and company B (external services)

Company A - project members:

Member AJ. – formal project manager and is also covering technical part of system

implementation (but has no deep technical know-how about software/hardware) , sales

manager, working in the company for 12 years. As a sales manager has a very good

communication skill. He knows personally the director of company B, is in good

relationship with him and he has recommend this company to COO. But AJ. has s bad

reputation by department managers in company A (receives no support from them in this

project), and as he had much bad experience from the past, he tries to hide a project from

the rest of the company, do not trust in success, communicates only verbal, avoids e-

mails and written assignments, changes his mind according situation…

49

Member AB. – HR, responsible for portal content and structure, working in the company

3 years, fresh baked HR manager (1 year), having trust and support from department

managers and COO, but there is a problem that each department manager thinks only

from his department point of view and is convinced that his technology or working style

is the best. AB. is lacking technological knowledge, trying to put all project members

together, except one – member AG. because of personal reasons.

Member AC. – HR, assisting member AB., very creative and an active member, working

in the company less than 1 year. Very good communication skills, can find any solution,

flexible, working hard and passionate (self-motivated).

Member AA. – one month in the company, enthusiastic, will be responsible later for

technical part of system implementation (will cover technical part, which is covering now

AJ.). Currently quiet and exploring the field: company and project.

Member AT. – IT expert, working in the company 1 year, enthusiastic, very emotional,

getting very fast into stress and anger. Came to help member AB as a “superman”, but

did not mentioned anything that he has some very bad experience with the company B.

Member AG. – department manager of technical department, has created one year ago an

internal portal for the whole company (very simple one and not user-friendly), employees

are not using it, but he is 100% sure that we don’t need any other portal. Not flexible,

“hard“ person to talk almost to all employees in the company. AJ. or AB. are

communicating with him regarding the project. He mostly communicates in the project

with member AJ.

Member AE. – QA, project manager, is working abroad, has a good reputation in the

company, previous boss of member AB., she invited him to be QA to make sure the

project goes well.

Company B – project members (Implementer’s side):

Member BL. – project manager, a shy woman, looks not confident enough, seems that

she has problem to express her opinion.

Member BT. – technical adviser, good communication skills, friendly, looks relaxed.

Member BV. – formal manager, a friend of our Member AJ., have never seen him.

Member BM – technical adviser, husband of BL., has his own opinion, can argue,

50

Issues:

1. Company B members are shy and do not say public what they think – small company via

big company

2. Member BL. and BV. communicate with Member AJ., but member AB. does not gets

the feedback. A gap in communication channel.

3. Not a common view about project implementation (methodology)

4. Many personal issues in relationships.

Goals:

Working together and reaching common goals

Opened and direct communication with each other

Solutions:

Clear described project members structure and responsibilities

E-mail communication and meeting minutes

Not only meetings and formal documentation, but also communication via mobile phone

Joined presentation on Friday for department managers

Eliminate member AT. from the project

Analysis from Gestalt perspective:

The pre-contact is missing in the process. Company B was brought to company A without

any introduction. As pre-contact was not done, there is no trust to each other from both

sides. This part is the most important in working together. If it will be not solved in the

future, there is no more need to analyze other issues in this project.

Phenomenology of company A and company B is different; there are some interruptions

in the process. There are also many interruptions in relationships among all project

members, but we are focusing on companies’ phenomenology, not on each project

member.

The first interruption – introjection. Company B thinks that company A is big,

professional and powerful. Company B thinks they must listen to everything what bigger

company says because it is always right. Company B is not able to argue or say “no”

because it is small and has to be nice.

The second strong one – projection. Member AB. do not trust member AJ. who is the

main person in communication with company B. As member AB. do not trust AJ., she

also do not trust company B – projects character of AJ. on company B.

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Solutions:

After party with project members from companies A & B (on the lake in yacht). It is an

opportunity to work on interruptions.

Clear explanation of COO to department managers why company B was chosen to

implement portal. It can solve some misunderstandings in pre-contact phase.

52

Case 13 – Coaching for Project Manager (Latvia)

I was working for 2 weeks in of our implementation project in Riga, Latvia. Project

management group consisted of 6 members: 3 women and 3 men. 2 project managers and me

from our side, 2 women and 1 man from the customer side.

After each meeting I told to our two project managers how the meeting went: how

anybody looked like, what gestures were used, who was angry or pleased, and who took a

defensive position. The project was full of stress: everyone concentrated on delivery and quality,

on project plans and technology. It was hard for Ramunas (28 years) to work under the stress,

sometimes he looses his patience and starts shouting during the meetings. One day he said to me:

“Before you came to the project, everyone was concentrated on things which are important,

everyone spoke logical and analytical, no emotions or defense mechanisms. You came and

paradise is lost.” I continued commenting him the meetings and he pretended not listening to me.

But I have noticed that he is actually listening. From my experience I have noticed that managers

try being cool in other employees’ eyes, but if you stay with one of them he/she can talk about

such things as emotions.

We had dinner together in the evening. When I first told Ramunas that we should work

with our feelings and emotions, I have got mixed reaction. There was distance and mistrust. The

skepticism and critical thoughts are always welcome at the meeting, but not emotions or

relations. I invited Ramunas to explore his relationships with me and feel his reactions while

talking with me, to be aware of it. Of course I told him the main concept of Gestalt before to

make him interested in this small experiment. We started “working in pairs”. I was a speaker, he

was a listener. Listener had to notice what is going inside him. It was a very hard exercise,

evoking many negative feelings. He does not feel secure.

Most of the meetings in business are operating with past or future. The main topics of

the meetings are what has been done and what has to be done for the future. Present moment is

ignored. But when managers can focus on their feelings at the present time, their contact with

each other can be more real. What is really going in my inner and outer world can be different.

Intellectual and analytical contact is valued. The contact is mostly superficial. [19]

53

His respect for other project management members has increased, but we have never

continued working. I hope he is working now with himself and exploring what is happening in

the meeting “here-and-now”.

54

Case 14 – Coaching for Presentation Skills (Sweden)

I was working in a project in Stockholm. One of our employees, Martins (24 years) was

promoted from a programmer to a group leader. He was a potential group leader and had

experience in the information system, but he lacked on some personal skills like communication,

presentation skills and managing other people.

I had time and offered to Martins my support. We agreed that he will prepare

presentations during the day time, and evening he will present it to me as he would do that with

business people. We agreed also that I will observe him and tell him feedback at he same time he

is giving a presentation. I had to listen to the content (do I understand what he is saying in

English?), to listen to his voice (does it sound confident and peacefully?), to observe his behavior

(does he appear good in the eyes of business?), to examine his appearance as a whole picture

(does he evoke a positive impression on me?). There are many articles and books about

presentations skills, but learning by doing is the best way to practice it.

The first presentation is the most memorable for him and me: stuttering English,

shaking hands with a pencil, a golden chain on the neck, frozen movements.

We were practicing the whole month and he did a big progress. It is not practicing

presentation skills, it also comes to self-confidence, body language, hidden conflicts, past

experience, and of course – awareness of what is going right now, at the present situation.

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Case 15 - Social Network (Lithuania)

HR team in my company consist (except me) of 3 young women, who are doing very

well administration work but lack on decision making, creative ideas, self confidence and

independent work. I always felt that I need someone who can do work without daily supervision,

a person to whom I can trust and a person who can communicate with most of our 300

employees.

There was a young man in one department, IT training consultant, who has very good

communication skills, has a lively interest in our organization and also in many different other

things outside the organization, was curious and “self-motivated”. A year ago I read a book

“Winning” by Jack Welsh, a former leader of General Electric, who was describing recruitment

process in his company. I totally agree with him that the main goal of selection process in the

company is to identify “self-motivated” persons, and employ them. Having an open mind,

analytical thinking and being self-motivated are very important. Only self motivated people can

achieve brilliant results and work independently. From my practical experience company’s

motivation and reward system can not raise employee’s satisfaction with work if he/she has no

self-motivation.

I observed Dominykas, a training consultant, and invited him to join to bowling

championship organization. He was also interested in my studies at Riga Gestalt Institute. At that

moment I was interested in my workshop preparation. Workshop was about social net and its

influence on people career. I have offered to Dominykas to make an experiment and draw his

social network. We did it together and analyzed his chart. He was surprised how many contacts

in his life he did himself. 32 from 40 contacts were started by him. He was the most active

person in making friends and we also explored how it influences his life now. He also had many

friends from having different professions and roles.

We analyzed what this drawing means to him now. He understood that he applies the

same behavior rules in our company: takes an active part to know each employee, is interested

not only in his department, but also in other departments and other IT Group companies.

After that I have invited him to join HR team. We are working with him 2 months, and I

would definitely say that he was the best choice for the position.

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