Issues in consultant – client relationship

GundeepCherry

Client ?

A person or organization using the services of a lawyer or other professional person or company .

Consultant ?

A person who provides expert advice professionally in a specific field and has wide knowledge of the subject matter.

Internal consultant External consultant

Hierarchy of tasks by Turner(1982)

1. Providing information to client.2. Solving a client’s problem.3. Making a diagnosis.4. Making recommendations.5. Assisting with implementation.6. Building a consensus7. Facilitate client learning.8. Permanently improving

organization's effectiveness.

AREAS OF ISSUES IN CONSULTANT – CLIENT RELATIONSHIP

Entry and contracting

Defining the client system

Trust

The nature of consultant’s expertise

Diagnosis and appropriate interventions

The depth of interventions

On being absorbed by the culture

The consultant as a model

The consultant team as a microcosm

Action research and the od process

Client dependency and terminating the relationship

Ethical standards in OD

Implications of OD for the client

1.Entry and contracting1.Entry and contracting

OD Consulting contract can occur in various ways.

The consultants & clients begin to sought out what group should do to in order to start a logical OD intervention.

When both the parties agree , this becomes the overall psychological contract.

2.Defining the client system

Usually the consultant is referred as singular but there can also be consultant teams.

3.the trust issue

People will be encouraged to criticize their superiors.

Subordinates may be concerned that they will be manipulated toward their superior’s goals with little attention given to their own.

4.The nature of consultant expertise

It is possible and desirable for the OD consultant to be an expert .

But the OD consultant also needs to resist the temptation of playing the content expert.

OD consultant should be prepared to describe in broad outline what the organization might look like.

5.Diagnosis and appropriate interventions

Temptation to a apply a particular intervention technique.

Appropriate interventions with intensive look at the data.

6.The depth of intervention.

ACCESSIBILITY : PUBLIC VS HIDDEN DATAINDIVIDUALITY :SELF VS ORGANISATION

7. On being absorbed by the culture

Consultant let himself indulge into joining the culture of the client organization.

8.The consultant as a model

The consultant should practice what he she preaches.

The consultant should give out clear messages.

9.The consultant team as a microcosm

The team must set an example of an effective unit to enhance its credibility

The team should have n effective interpersonal relationship.

Practitioner should also focus on continuous growth & process renewal.

10.Action research and od process

Simple questionnaires or interviews could be helpful.

11.Client dependency issue and terminating relationship

Relationship between consultant and client depends on :

consultant competence :the longer the consultant are able to provide innovative and productive intervention the more longer the relationship will lasts.

Client resourcefulness & capabilities in OD.

12.Ethical standards in OD Louis White & Kevin Wooten see five

categories of ethical dilemmas in OD practice stemming from either the client or consultant actions or both. These are :

1. misrepresentation & collusion 2. Misuse of data3. Manipulation and coercion4. Value & goal conflicts5. Technical ineptness

Values lying ethical OD practice

1. Honesty2. Openness3. Voluntarism4. Integrity5. Confidentiality6. The development of people7. The development of consultant

expertise8. High standards & self-awareness

13.IMPLICATIONS OF OD FOR A CLIENT

1. To enlarge the database for making management decisions

2. To expand the influence process3. To capitalize the strengths of formal

system4. To become more responsive5. To legitimize conflicts6. To examine its own leadership style7. To encourage collaborative

management

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONSULTANT CLIENT RELATIONSHIP

BE TRANSPARENT UNDER COMMIT-OVER DELIVER DON’T BE AFTRAID TO TELL THE

CLIENT THAT YOU HAVE A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION

SOCIALIZE OFFER KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER IN

THE FORM OF COACHING & MENTORING.

Thank you