What should a consultant have managers do between intervention sessions to help further the process of change? This case study suggests that the concept of organizational tasking can provide one answer to this question. Two kinds of organizational task assignments, drawn from the literature on family therapy, are discussed: prescription task assignments and formula task assignments. Their use in helping to resolve a troubled situation in a transit property is described. Time series data are presented that offer evidence on the possible effectiveness of the use of organizational tasking.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
de Shazer, S. (1982). Patterns of brief family therapy. New York: Guilford.
2.
de Shazer, S. (1985). Keys to solutions in brief therapy. New York: Norton.
3.
de Shazer, S. (1988). Clues: Investigation solutions in brief therapy . New York: Norton.
4.
de Shazer, S. (1991). Putting difference to workNew York: Norton.
5.
Fisch, R., Weakland, J., & Segal, L. (1982). The tactics of change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
6.
Gibb, J. (1977). TORI group self-diagnosis scale. In J. Jones & J. Pfeiffer (Eds.), The 1977 Annual: Handbook forgroup facilitators (pp. 73-81). San Diego, CA: University Associates.
7.
Gibb, J. (1978). Trust: A new view of personal and organizational development. Los Angeles: Guild of Tutor Press.
8.
Kazdin, A. (1981). Drawing valid inferences from case studies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 49, 183-192.
9.
Price, J., & Mueller, C. (1986). Handbook of organizational measurement. Marshfield, MA: Pitman.
10.
Seltzer, L. (1986). Paradoxical strategies in psychotherapy: A comprehensive overview and guidebook. New York: Wiley.
11.
Selvini-Palazzoli, M., Cirillo, S., Selvini, M., & Sorrentino, A. (1989). Family games (V. Kleiber, Trans.). New York: Norton.
12.
Wylie, M. (1990, March-April). Brief therapy on the couch. Family Therapy Networker, pp. 26-35.