CHAPTER 2 Techniques Are Not Enough Flashcards
What are the dimensions of the consulting role that transcend specific methods?
Personal involvement, reactions to clients, feelings during discussions, ability to solicit and give feedback.
What are the three roles a consultant can choose according to Ed Schein?
- Expert role
- Pair-of-hands role
- Collaborative role
What is the key characteristic of the expert role in consulting?
The consultant acts as an expert, with the client delegating authority to solve a specific problem.
In the expert role, what is the typical relationship between the manager and the consultant?
The manager plays an inactive role while the consultant takes full responsibility for results.
What are the main problems associated with the expert role?
- Inaccurate assessment due to human elements
- Lack of commitment from people to recommended actions
What is the pair-of-hands role in consulting?
The consultant acts as an extra pair of hands, executing tasks defined by the manager while the manager retains control.
In the pair-of-hands role, who makes decisions on how to proceed?
The manager makes decisions; the consultant implements based on the manager’s outlined procedures.
What are the clues that indicate a consultant is acting in a pair-of-hands role?
- Consultant takes a passive role
- Manager decides how to proceed
- Limited two-way communication
What is the collaborative role in consulting?
Consultants and managers work together, combining specialized knowledge to solve problems.
What characterizes decision-making in a collaborative role?
Bilateral decision-making characterized by mutual exchange and respect.
What is the goal of a consultant in the collaborative role?
To help managers develop skills to solve similar problems independently in the future.
What are the main problems faced when working collaboratively?
- Time-consuming compared to quick solutions
- Misinterpretation of intentions by managers
What is the fear associated with collaboration in consulting?
Fear of diluting the consultant’s expertise by appearing too intertwined with the client.
What are some areas of collaboration in the consulting process?
- Expressing the wants of the client
- Planning how to inform the organization
- Deciding who is involved in the discovery phase
What assumptions should consultants be clear about?
Their beliefs about effective organizations and management styles.
What is one of the basic assumptions underlying the consulting approach presented in the text?
Problem-solving requires valid data.
Fill in the blank: The consultant’s goal in the expert role is to _______.
solve the immediate problem
True or False: In the collaborative role, the consultant solves problems for the manager.
False
What has shifted in organizational emphasis over the past 40 years?
From control and leadership qualities to collaborative or participative conceptions of organizations.
What is the theme that runs throughout most assumptions about effective organizations today?
Participative management and empowerment.
What does valid data in problem-solving encompass?
- Objective data about ideas, events, or situations accepted as facts
- Personal data concerning individual feelings about situations.
Why is effective decision-making important in organizations?
It requires free and open choice to ensure people support the decisions.
What tends to happen when people feel they have no control over important decisions?
They become cautious or defensive, withhold information, and protect themselves from blame.
What is required for effective implementation of decisions?
Internal commitment from individuals.
What is the first goal of a consultant?
Establish a collaborative relationship.
Why is a collaborative relationship important for consultants?
- Maximizes use of resources
- Spreads responsibility for success or failure
- Models problem-solving behavior.
What does it mean to solve problems so they stay solved?
Addressing root causes rather than just immediate symptoms.
What are the two elements in each situation that need attention?
- The technical/business problem
- The way people are interacting around that problem.
What is a primary goal of each consulting act?
Developing client commitment.
Why is client commitment key to consultant impact?
Because the consultant depends on line managers for producing results.
What can lead to consulting projects ending up on a shelf?
Losing the managers’ commitment to the project.
What is necessary to build client commitment throughout the consulting process?
Effective consulting skills that create internal commitment in managers.
What is often a misconception about the effectiveness of consulting arguments?
That clear arguments alone will ensure client action.
What stands in the way of commitment to consultant recommendations?
Clients’ doubts and desire for safety.
Who first formulated the limitations of the expert role for consultants?
Ed Schein.
What is the title of Ed Schein’s book that discusses the collaborative potential in the helping process?
Process Consulting Revisited.
