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20 Cards in this Set

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Consultant

A person in a position to have some influence over an individual, a group, or an org but has no direct power to make changes or implementing programs


Must have 3 skills:


- technical (expertise about the question)


- interpersonal(put ideas into words, listen, support,etc)


- consulting skills (knowing the 5 steps of consulting)

An agent of management, assuming the management role

Consulting & Phases

Every time you give advice to someone who is faced with a choice.


Phases: 1) Entry and Contracting- initial contact woth a client ablut thr project


2) discovery and dialogue - consultants come up with a sence of the problem and strengths the client has


3) analysis and decision to act- inquiry and dialogue must be organized and reported in some fashion. Reduce data to a manageable number of issues. Planning, setting goals and select the action steps.


4) Engagement and Implementation - carry out the planning


5) extension, recycle or termination - about learning from the engagement. Followed by a decision whether to extend the process to a larger segment of the org.



Each one requires 4/types of skills:


- contracting (negotiating wants)


- discovery (interview- intervention)


- feedback (funnelling data)


- decision (running group meetings)


Consultants Dilemma

When you dont have direct control over people yet want them to listen to you and need your advice

Manager

Someone who has direct responsibility over the action. Different roles in an org are actually managerial (HR, matket research, financial analysis).

Clients

Recipients of all the advices. Can be a single individual, a work groups, a department, or a whole organization. A person that the consultant wants to influence

Line manager

Clients for the services provided by support people in organizations. Have to labour under the advice of support groups. Negative opinions associated with the term consultant comes from actions of people who call consultanta but act as...

Change

The goal or end product in any consulting activity. Comes in two varieties: 1) consult to create change in line organizations of a structural, policy, or procedural nature.


2) when one person or many people in line org have learned something new.

Techniques - Dimensions

Techniques.


Operating at 2 levels and have an equal balance between these 2.


1- The content: the cognitive part of a discussion between yourself and the client. An anlytical, rational, or explicit part of the discussion, where you are working on what you may be called the technical or business situation.


2- Relationship to the client : both you and the client are generating

Techniques - beyond content - feelings

The effective side of the discussion. Info abt the clients real concern, a d possibilities of establishing a good relationship. Steps to succeed: value the effective side of the relationship as an important area of attention; increase comfort level in putting into words how you are feeling about the relationship as its going on.


Grow skillful in wording your sense.


Affective side of Consultant-client interaction that are always operating

4 elements:


1) responsibility: to have a good contract with the client, responsibility (50-50).


2) feeling$: the extent to which clients are able to own their own feelings - balancing responsibility.


3) trust: ask if clients trust your confidentiality. Put distrust into words.


4) your own needs: its easy to fall into a service mentality, therefore show your worthness.

Consultant assumltions

Consulting behaviour should be consistent with thr style of management advocated to the clients.


Management assumptions: a variation of the traditional military\ church model of patriarchy. Great emphasis on the hierarchial pyramid and a clear separation between authority and leadership. These have shifted in the past 30 years. A variation of collaborative and participatory conceptions are present today.


3 consulting assumptions:


Problem solving requires valid data: 1)objective data about ideas, events accepted as facts 2) personal data


Effective Decision making requires free and open choice: making them is not easy, works better when people have an opportunity to influence decisions thay have an impact on their own work


Efdective implementation requires internal commitment: you can order people tk dl things and they will comply but if you want them to aplly themselves, commitment is required

Consultant Goals

1. Establish a collaborative relationship(promises max use of resources, spreads the responsibility, nice way to work, be a role model- practice what you preach)


2. Solve problems so they stay solved(teach managers the skills)


3. Ensure attention is given to both the technical\business problem and the relationship (consultants urge attention to the process issues, in line managers will not listen in a way they listen to each other.



+ developing client commitment (effective cobsulting skills- act and create internal commitment in managers, client commitment- key to leverage and impact)

Consultant roles

The choice depends on the individual differences in management style, nagure of the task and thr personal preference


Ed Schein


1. Expert (client to expert(support person, little collaboration and two way communication)


- manager is inactive, consultant is responsible for results(he is, and embraces that) although the manager is expected to be responsible and provide assistance


- decisions are made on the basis of consultant expert judgements, he\she gathers and analyses the needed info, deciding what method to use.


- disadv. An accurate assessment is only possible when the problem is of technical nature, but as with all there is a human element in it as well., studies done by outside experts rarely carry personal commitment.


.


- consultant is passive, manager mames thr decisions on how to proceed, as well as selects the methods for discovery and anysis. Consultant may be the data collector, suggest and avoid disagreeement to bkt create challenges of authority. Consultants role is to make tbe system morr effective.


-Diasadv. Constant is dependent on the manager, askkng questions may be interpreted wrongly and annoying.


2. Pair of hands(consultant), seen by the manager. Manager has full control. Consultant isnexpected to apply specialized knowledge to the manager defined goals. Collablration is nkt necessary. Two way comm is limited.- consultant is passive, manager mames thr decisions on how to proceed, as well as selects the methods for discovery and anysis. Consultant may be the data collector, suggest and avoid disagreeement to bkt create challenges of authority. Consultants role is to make tbe system morr effective. -Diasadv. Constant is dependent on the manager, askkng questions may be interpreted wrongly and annoying. 3. Collaborative(focus on relationship, essential!, two-way communication, info exchange is carried out in a problem-solving mode) -management and consultant wkrk to be interdependent, share responsibility for action planning, inplementing, results, decision making(biletial), data collection and analysis is a joint effort, control issues are a matter of discussion and negotiation, disagreement is a source of new ideas, solve and keep solved.-Diasdv. Consuktants have special skills that mabagers see as a quicj answer to their problems, tkme consuming* collavorative vs pair of hands- confusion about the destinction between tbe expert and the collaborative role, fear of holding hands.


3. Collaborative(focus on relationship, essential!, two-way communication, info exchange is carried out in a problem-solving mode)


(biletial), data collection and analysis is a joint effort, control issues are a matter of discussion and negotiation, disagreement is a source of new ideas, solve and keep solved.


-management and consultant wkrk to be interdependent, share responsibility for action planning, inplementing, results, decision making(biletial), data collection and analysis is a joint effort, control issues are a matter of discussion and negotiation, disagreement is a source of new ideas, solve and keep solved.-Diasdv. Consuktants have special skills that mabagers see as a quicj answer to their problems, tkme consuming* collavorative vs pair of hands- confusion about the destinction between tbe expert and the collaborative role, fear of holding hands.


-Diasdv. Consuktants have special skills that mabagers see as a quicj answer to their problems, tkme consuming



* collavorative vs pair of hands- confusion about the destinction between tbe expert and the collaborative role, fear of holding hands.


.




Staging a step by step change implementation plan

1. Defjne the problem with the manager


2. Decide if to proceed with it at all


3. Select dimensions


-constant knows best


4. Decide who will be involved


- consultant clieny team to build client commitment


5. Select the method


- ask client


6. Do discovery


- have the client with you at this


7-9. Funnelling data and making sense(takes time)


- funnelling data into a manaheae amount of jnfo


- summarizing, organizing, makjng sense


10. Provide results


- have the client share presenting the analysis


11. Make recommendations


- requires integrating


12. Decide on Actions


-client may or may not dismiss the consuktant frlmt he decisions making process

Being authentic

Meanign you put into words what you are expiriencing with thr client as you work, it is a mistakr to assume that clients make decisions to begin projects and use consultants based on rational reasons. trust is the mkst essential.


Flawless consulting process

1.Contracting.


-negotiate wants: one hand beckons you the other says stop.


- surface concerns about exposure and loss of control: looking foolish or incompetent, loosing control of their organization


-triangular and rectangumar contracts: knkw how many clientd you have, the client and the clients boss, a triangular contract. With your boss there, rectangular contract.


2. Discovery and inquiry


- layers of inquiry: name the layers of the proem clearly


-political climate


- resistance to sharing info: tell the whole story why not?


-interview as a joint learning event: consultant is never neutral objectice observer, sticky issues come up.


3. Feedback and the decision to act


- funneling the data: get si e action nit to do research for its sake. Actionable items selected.


- presentkng personal and organixarional data: data thag the client cannot find anywhere else


- managing the meeting fkr action: moment of truth


Focus on here and now: do nkt be the last casualty


Dont take it personally: toughest, resistance is to the action, being tough


4. Engagement and implementation


- bet on engagement over mandate and persuasion: real work lies ahead, value the importance of people bringkng it together


- design more particilatikn than presentatio: each meeting is an example of a new way of working


- encourage difficult public exchange: trust is built by dwaling with the difficult issues early and publicly


- put real choice on the table: as early as possible, and not too speedy, give choice


- change the conversation to change thr culture: encourage dialogue


-attention to place: room, etc. Important!

Accountability and reasons to fail

Each of us learns and uses unfo in different ways, it is sometimes difficult for managers to accept help and be publiclt open to suggestions. As well as consultants cant judge their work just by managers' reactions, managers have a right to fail, whether we like it or not.

Contract, concept def

Simply an explicit agreement of what the consultant and client expect from each other and how they work together.


The reason to put it in writing is for clarity, not enforcement.


-internal: verbal or written, consultants are accustomed to focusing on the consideration given to the client;


-external: in writing, external consultants are trysted less, especially with money.


* the word ... Is useful in two ways: 1) it calls attention to the specific expectations of the relationship & 2) legal connotations (mutual consent- how motivated the support person and the line manager are to engagr in a project & valid considerations-exchange of something of value) are applicable to consulting relationships



In order to be part of it, people need to operational partnership in the venture: have influence on what happens, access to people and information in the line organization: freedom of movement, time of people in the org, opportunity to be innovative: try smth different

Contracting skills and elements

Skills


1) behave authenticly


2) complete the business of the contracting phase



able to:


- ask direct questions about the client is and the less visible parties


- elixit the clients expectations


- clear and simple statements f desires


- reject if the chance of success is less than 50\50


- give direct affirmation and verbal support


-talk about control, vulnerability and bkth desires abd chances of success.



:


1) boundaries of analysis: what problem or possibility you are going to focus on


2) project objectives: org improvements


- expect to help the client in: a) solve a tech or business problem- reduce the pain, b) create a new possibility- vision of a new futute c) teach the client how to solve the problem d) improve how the org mabages resources, uses systems and works internally


Elements: 1) boundaries of analysis: what problem or possibility you are going to focus on2) project objectives: org improvements- expect to help the client in: a) solve a tech or business problem- reduce the pain, b) create a new possibility- vision of a new futute c) teach the client how to solve the problem d) improve how the org mabages resources, uses systems and works internally3) the kind of info you see - 'come close but not too close' 4) your role in the project - hkw yoi want to work5) the product you will deliver - oral feedback or written report6) supoort and client involvement- specofy what you want from the client7) time schedule - deadlines8) confidentiality- who gets the report9) feedback to you later - optional element.


3) the kind of info you see - 'come close but not too close'


4) your role in the project - hkw yoi want to work


5) the product you will deliver - oral feedback or written report


specofy what you want from the client


7) time schedule - deadlines


6) supoort and client involvement- specofy what you want from the client7) time schedule - deadlines8) confidentiality- who gets the report9) feedback to you later - optional element.


8) confidentiality- who gets the report


9) feedback to you later - optional element.



Rules of contracting - Gestalt Psychology

1) responsibility is 50-50


2) contract is freely entered


3) considerations from both sides


4) all wants are legitimate


5) you can say no, even to clients


6) you dont always get what you want


7) you can contract for behaviour, not feelings


8) cants ask for something the other doesnt have


9) cants promise what you cant deliver


10) cant contract with someone nit in the room, meet them


11) write them! Harder to neglect


12) social contracts are negotiable


13) Require time


14) require good faith and fortune