Practicing Organization Development: A Guide for Leading Change: A Third Edition

PARADOXICAL THEORY OF CHANGE

At the center of Gestalt OD theory is the paradoxical theory of change, which is the touchstone and guiding principle for most Gestalt interventions. However, to fully appreciate the paradoxical theory of change, we need to acknowledge, as suggested by Duncan and Miller, that “Within the client is a uniquely personal theory of change waiting for discovery, a framework for interventions to be unfolded and utilized for a successful outcome” (2000, p. 180). This “uniquely personal” approach to change supports what Gestalt has come to call the paradoxical theory of change—where it is assumed that change occurs when an individual, group, or organization acknowledges and accepts what he, she, or it is rather than continually ...