Foreword
Foreword to the English Edition
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1. Contexts and roles in our daily lives
Person and situation
The concept of roles
Habitual roles
Professions in transition
Taking up a functional role
Context – goal – role
Chapter 2. Separating the role from the person
When the person merges with the job
Boundaries
When boundaries get blurred
The value of mental boundaries
The permeability of boundaries
What’s involved in a professional role?
The consequences of unclear roles
Chapter 3. Moving stones versus building a cathedral
Setting visible and understandable goals
Defining a clear task
A sense of coherence
Chapter 4. Living human systems
Basic principles of systems thinking
Clear boundaries
Permeability—peepholes to the outside
Common goals
The organization—a Russian doll
Chapter 5. The importance of having a functioning filter
External reminders
Internal work
Picturing the filter
Requirements for a functioning filter
Personal responsibility
When you slip out of your role
Chapter 6. What’s the point of having a boss?
Leadership and the manager’s role
The manager as boundary straddler
Functional hierarchy
The manager’s role in the hierarchy
Considerations for the employee
The employee/manager relationship
Chapter 7. Meetings, meetings, and more meetings
Why we need meetings
Saying the right thing in the wrong context
Communication and plumbing
Meetings: function-structure-person
Small action—great effect
Chapter 8. Looking through the lens of group development
An integrated model of group development
Stage 1: Security and belonging
Stage 2: Opposition and conflict
Stage 3: Trust and structure
Stage 4: Work and productivity
Not always a linear progression
The employee’s role as a group member
A fly on the wall
Chapter 9. Thought as a tool
Past, present, and future
Facts and interpretations
Here and now
A model for understanding our thought patterns
Interpretations of the past: War stories and nostalgia
Interpretations of the future: Fears and fantasies
Interpretations of the present: Mind-reading
Learning from the past
Planning for the future
Being present
Applying the model to your workplace
Chapter 10. Hanging in for the long haul
Contextual factors that help us take up our role
What can we do ourselves?
Don’t reinvent the wheel
References