ARTICLES

Administration & Society, 1999, #31 (2), pp.101-111

This article is a rejoinder to the critique by Robert Golembiewski of the authors article Transforming the Mind-Set of the Organization: A Clinical Perspective, in which the processes of individual and organizational change and the resemblance between them were highlighted. Golembiewski major points of criticism suggested limitations to the authors approach to organizational transformation, possible negative ethical implications and low estimates of success rates. He referred to quality of working life (QWL) and organizational development (OD) studies as more appropriate approaches. The authors respond by emphasizing the difference between small-scale change as represented by QWL and OD, and major organizational transformation efforts they have engaged in; they point out the dimension added by the clinical orientation to conventional approaches to organizational changes as one that may be more appropriate for the shift in organizational paradigms. The authors clarify the definition of healthy organizations and introduce the concept of the authentizotic organization.