Consulting and Business Partnering Flashcards
What is the value TD brings to senior leaders of an org?
- help make strategic decisions
- create solutions
- implement change to achieve the outcomes an org requires
Partnering vs. Consulting
The key difference is the amount of time involved - partnering is ongoing; consulting is a short-term engagement.
Partnering:
- an ongoing role
- mutually established
- a common goal
- continuous engagement at all levels
- collaborative decision-making process
- requires good listening skills, trust, and respect
- TD professionals must gain credibility for clients to agree to a solution that will achieve org results
Consulting:
- includes a start and finish that follows a short-term, defined process defined by the consultant or the client
- extension of partnering when support requires more defined process
- goal is to facilitate change and achieve desired outcomes by moving from current state to desired state
- can be internal or external
- typically focused on one project
- rarely have formal authority to implement recommendations
Standard chain of events in consultation (5)
- Define the issue
- Gather and analyze data
- Present findings and decide on next steps
- Implement the solution
- Evaluate the results
Edgar Schein
consultants should focus on adapting a solution to the organization as opposed to accepting a packaged solution presented by expert consultants
Richard Beckhard
defined organization development as it is known today: An organization-wide, planned process initiative that is managed from the top to increase organizational effectiveness
Chris Argyris
single, double, and triple loop learning, and contributed to the development of organizational and experiential learning, the reflective model, and the ladder of inference
W. Edwards Deming
brought his 14 points and process improvement concepts first to Japan and then the United States.
He popularized the plan, do, check, act (PDCA) cycle for continuous process improvement, showing the benefits that occur when all employees are involved in making incremental quality improvements
Peter Block
His book, Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used is currently used by most consultants and has been recognized by the OD Network as the most influential book for organization development practitioners in the past 40 years.
His five phases of consulting provide the basis for most current consulting models.
Single-loop learning
Chris Argyris
people learn and use new skills for necessary incremental change
“Am I doing things right?”
Double-loop learning
Chris Argyris
focuses on a fundamental change in thinking patterns and behaviors. People often refer to this act as reframing or changing the context
“Am I doing the right things?’
Triple-loop learning
Chris Argyris
individuals make fundamental shifts in how they view themselves, and then willingly alter their beliefs and values about themselves and the world (a transformational act)
Ladder of inference
Chris Argyris
a thought process model that describes the stages individuals go through, usually without realizing it, to get from a fact to a decision or action. The thinking stages are like rungs on a ladder; individuals select certain aspects of events that they introduce into their thinking, feeling, and interactions.
Organizational learning
Chris Argyris
the way companies build, supplement, organize knowledge through their daily practices, routines, and culture, including how they identify and correct errors and adapt for organizational efficiency
Reflective learning
Chris Argyris
helps learners analyze their learning experience and use critical thinking skills to improve future performance
PDCA
W. Edwards Deming
Plan, Do, Check, Act - determine the problem, implement the solution, track/analyze/evaluate the results of the change, reflect and act on lessons learned
Model of continuous process improvement
The 4 Roles of the Consultant
Expert: a directive role; generally viewed as the authority, provides advice, and implementation is often conducted by others
Facilitator: neutral role; facilitates meetings or teams that address process improvement, team building, and other actions, where the goal is to draw out answers from a group
Process consultant: examines processes, systems, interactions, traditions, culture, funding sources, and other interfaces to determine their effect on each other and the results; generally takes the longest and is the broadest coverage
Other pair of hands: role focused on analyzing, planning, and project roll-out; consultant plays a supporting role and client is in charge of outcomes. Best for short-term projects with fewer stakeholders.
Skills and Tools Shared Between TD and Consultants
Skills: Teamwork, collaboration, communication, problem-solving, performance improvement, project management
Tools: risk assessment, needs assessment, planning, communication plans, vision statements, mission statements, guiding principles
5 Ways TD professionals build credibility with partners
- be proactive
- focus on organizational success
- apply business acumen
- participate and communicate
- deliver value
How can TD professionals build credibility by being proactive?
- Partner with key leaders to identify the organization’s issues.
- Get involved with new projects, improvement teams, and task forces.
- Anticipate needs
- Propose initiatives that address current business issues
- Take initiative in the organization’s strategic planning process
How can TD professionals build credibility by focusing on organizational success?
- Spend time doing what senior management values.
- Demonstrate relevance by tying it to the bottom line.
- Anticipate corporate needs and discuss them with senior leaders.
- Establish a reputation for recognizing that business must come first.
- Think and act strategically
How can TD professionals build credibility by applying business acumen?
- Learn more about all aspects of the organization.
- Further explore the industry the organization is in.
- Read the same journals that senior leaders do.
- Learn more about the organization’s competitors.
- Investigate which strategic challenges the organization will face in the next few years.
- Complete an organizational scan focusing on the trends that will affect the organization in the future.
How can TD professionals build credibility by participating and communicating?
- Network, especially with influential leaders—both formal and informal.
- Attend or review senior leaders’ presentations.
- Learn more about customers, their expectations, their issues, and their satisfactions.
- Read the senior leader meeting minutes
How can TD professionals build credibility by adding value?
- Complete tasks even when they do not know how to do it; someone will be able to help.
- Learn about the organizational politics without allowing them to affect results.
- Establish credibility as a results-oriented player.
- Exhibit a positive can-do demeanor.
- Remain professional, honest, and ethical.
5 Phase Consulting Process
- Assessing the Need
- Understanding the Issue
- Present Findings and Interpretations
- Developing and Implementing a Solution
- Completing the Project and Evaluating Results
What happens during Phase 1, Assessing the Need?
TD professionals begin to understand the client’s organization, department, and needs.
- Use an exploratory meeting to develop relationship and agree on roles
- discuss expectations and actions of each
- agree on expected goal, deliverables, and outcomes
What happens during Phase 2, Understanding the Issue?
This phase is used to discover and analyze the data.
- Begin to collect data to understand the issue and the environment
- Determine criteria for collecting data, such as time, cost, comfort level and trust, confidentiality, and culture
- Select data collection method, or a combination of methods
- Analyze data
- Prepare to develop options and recommendations
What happens during Phase 3, Present Findings and Interpretations?
This phase is used to deliver the findings and decide on next steps. The TD professional provides the client with data findings and interpretations, as well as recommendations.
- Frame the findings or issues.
- Create effective feedback agendas.
- Conduct feedback meetings and decide on next steps/approach together with client.
- Determine next steps and adjust goals/deliverables, if needed.
- Manage sensitive information.
- Address resistance.
What happens during Phase 4, Develop and Implement a Solution?
Using the approach that was agreed on in phase 3, TD professionals design a solution that incorporates all components of the system and takes into consideration all stakeholders. They may support through implementation.
- Use a team approach.
- Create a transition strategy.
- Create an implementation plan.
- Work across organizational boundaries.
- Provide feedback to leaders.
- Gain buy-in.
- Share credit.
- Document the solution.
Consultant may act in the role of a coach, facilitator, leader, or guide
What happens during Phase 5, Completing the Project and Evaluating Results?
This phase is used to end the project.
- Bring closure to a project.
- Identify lessons learned.
- Create a monitoring plan.
- Address any issues that were uncovered. May need to extend project or cycle back to Phases 2 or 3 to gather additional data and redesign solution.
- Evaluate the consulting process
What purposes does data collection serve during the consultation process? (6)
- defines the problem and the requirement
- uncovers potential root causes
- may determine the preferred or desired future state
- provides a baseline or starting point for comparison
- identifies content and scope of the solution
- could increase individual and org support
What are the criteria for identifying data collection methods during the consultation process? (8)
- Turnaround time
- Cost of assessment
- Comfort level and trust. What is the organizational atmosphere? Will the data be reliable?
- Size of the population
- Confidentiality - will this be an issue?
- Reliability and validity. To what extent is this critical? How will the assessment methodology affect reliability and validity?
- Culture. What’s been done in the past and what perceptions may exist about methods?
- Location - remote or in person?
Advantages and disadvantages of surveys
Advantages:
- inexpensive
- the results are easy to tally
- they provide quick results
- they can reach a lot of people at a distance (participation is easy)
- can be qualitative and quantitative
Disadvantages:
- return rates can often be low, thus not giving a good sample
- they also need to be worded in a way so that everyone understands them
- questions don’t allow for free expression
- constructing questions and selecting scale must be done carefully
Advantages and disadvantages of interview
Advantages:
- clarify ambiguous or confusing information obtained otherwise
- gives participants ownership in the process
- they provide rich detail through a two-way conversation to clarify statements or ensure understanding of questions
- in-depth information
- use the same wording and interview protocol for consistency
- can be used to design quant tools
Disadvantages:
- can be time consuming and labor intensive
- the interviewer must be careful to record exact responses and not interpret them
- interviewer must represent the target population
Advantages and disadvantages of focus groups
Advantage:
- it can create richer concepts as individuals build on one another’s ideas
- able to observe nonverbal behavior (Consulting, not Evaluating Impact)
- able to interview more people in a shorter amount of time
Disadvantage:
- the group can be influenced by particularly verbal individuals, which gives the impression of unanimity when it is not the case
- time and resource intensive
Advantages and disadvantages of observation
Advantage:
- they are great for measuring skill ability (Evaluating Impact, not Consulting)
- it may be used to create a step-by-step procedure (algorithm) that can be standardized for all learners as a flowchart, diagram, graphic, list of steps, or job aid
- can capture job environment conditions that make a difference and can be incorporated into solution (Consulting, not Evaluating Impact)
- Provides realistic view of situation
Disadvantage:
- some performers may not act as they normally would because they know they are being watched (known as the Hawthorne effect)
- only indicates behavior, not reason for the behavior
- can be difficult to identify when one portion ends and the next begins (Consulting, not Evaluating Impact)
Advantages and disadvantages of extant data
Advantages:
- provides exact or reliable numbers (hard data) for consistency
- can enable an examination of trends and patterns over time.
Disadvantages:
- usually collected for other purposes, so performance issues may need to be inferred from patterns in the data
- TD professionals cannot control methodology, so it might be mixed with extraneous data
- Not the raw data exactly required
Advantages and disadvantages of self-assessments
Advantages:
- Can obtain candid info
- Provides foundational info on which to build
Disadvantages:
- May be biased
- Unlikely it can stand on its own
11 ways TD may partner with org units across the business
- evaluating talent requirements
- advising on talent acquisition strategies
- leading engagement surveys
- designing, organizing, and conducting an onboarding plan
- coaching managers to develop people
- establishing mentoring programs
- selecting high potential candidates for leadership development efforts
- increasing innovation
- leading a focus group to gather data
- supporting performance efforts
- administering personality and leadership assessments
What are 8 ways a TD professional can build a partnership with the business?
- building a relationship with the leadership team
- using business language
- gaining a clear understanding of the organization’s strategic imperatives, goals, and plans
- understanding and helping solve organizational challenges
- demonstrating collaboration, accountability, and timeliness
- becoming a systems thinker to show understanding of how changes in one part of the organization will affect the rest of the organization
- promoting positive change
- exhibiting enthusiasm and pride in the work of talent development.
What does it mean to take a systems perspective to partnering with business units?
Systems thinking is understanding how changes in one part of the organization will affect the rest of the organization. Component parts can be best understood by examining relationships with one another and with other systems, rather than in isolation. The holistic view is important to change initiatives because small changes to any part of a system affect the whole system based on the level of interconnectedness.
TD professionals should have a clear understanding of the organization, as well as the business or agency’s mission and the industry it is in. This enables them to think strategically and critically.
TD professionals need business acumen to achieve this, as well as financial and marketing skills.
Boundary spanning (Tushman)
the act of employees who communicate with one another and share information across department lines.
It encourages the flow of innovative ideas across departments; cross-cut boundaries enables reinvention
What organizational characteristics must be in place for boundary spanning?
- define boundaries to create safety
- understand boundaries to foster respect
- connect to suspend boundaries and build trust
- reframe the boundaries to develop community
- interlace the boundaries to advance interdependence
- cross-cut boundaries to enable reinvention
There is an evolution of the TD function which is emphasizing the need to take a proactive and strategic role in partnering with more diverse stakeholder across the business to create solutions at all levels.
What are 4 “thinking” skills a TD professional must have in order to align to organizational needs, goals, and objectives?
- systems thinking
- strategic thinking
- critical thinking
- collaboration
What are 4 levels of alignment that a TD professional should prioritize for optimal org impact?
- aligning for organizational results
- aligning for employee results
- aligning for work processes
- aligning for external value to org’s clients
Which of the 4 levels of alignment is most strategic?
aligning for external value to the org’s clients
This alignment “can add value to customers and society at large, and in turn positively affect organizational stability.”
What are 6 benefits to employee development programs?
- increased retention
- boosts morale
- improved matching of a person to the job
- current skills are maintained
- flexibility
- talent is aligned with organizational strategy
Workforce plan
A workforce plan is a design that identifies the skill and knowledge gaps between today’s talent and the needs of the future, as well as the actions required to meet the needs.
The workforce plan emerges from the organization’s strategic plan and offers managers a framework for staffing decisions that is based on the mission, strategic plan, budget, and desired competencies. Requires TD to work across depts and functions to create the plan.
8 types of employee development
- advanced degree education, courses, or certificate programs
- cross-functional job rotations
- committee and task force involvement
- loaned executive programs
- retreats, sabbaticals, and immersive development courses, adventure learning
- shadowing or “understudy” efforts
- replacement or academic assignments
- self-development opportunities, professional associations, conference or workshop presentations
Types of TD programs
- Onboarding
- Mentoring
- Employee referral
- Talent hunt
- Management training/coaching
- Leadership development programs
What are 2 key success factors in gaining buy-in toward a plan of action?
- Base it on data that is easy to comprehend
- Present recommendations clearly
When preparing to make recommendations and gain support, what is the first step?
Assessing client’s readiness
It’s important to get to know your client when working to gain influence.
What 3 things should be considered about the client when preparing to make recommendations?
- their role: decision-makers, resource owners, or ultimately responsible for results?
- their opinions: are they positive, ready to move forward, have a sense of urgency? Is there a willingness to partner?
- their priorities: what is most important to them? It should be a mix of business needs and personal motivation
What is credibility based on?
- reputation
- relationship with management
- success with past projects
- length of time in org
- how TD function and consulting roles are viewed
How is credibility established?
- Being respectful
- doing good work
- Adopting a positive demeanor
- building relationships at all levels of the org
- establishing a reputation through past relationships, successes, and seniority
When are you most likely to encounter resistance?
When the information and recommendations are presented
What are early warning signs of resistance? (6)
- negativity
- putting obstacles in the way
- withdrawing commitment from parts of the project
- failing to provide information as promised
- being slow to approve work
- changing direction in the middle of the project
- requesting that information be omitted or changed
- seeming to have a hidden motive
When should resistance be addressed?
as soon as it occurs; ignoring them will only let things get worse or appear at an inopportune time
What are 4 expressive influencers that can be used to influence others and gain buy-in?
- Tell: Communicate the desired action by making suggestions or expressing needs.
- Sell: Convince the other to commit to action by offering reasons or referring to goals and benefits.
- Negotiate: Give the other a vested interest in taking the action by offering incentives or describing consequences.
- Enlist: Create enthusiasm and alignment through envisioning or encouraging success
What are 4 receptive influencers that can be used to influence others and gain buy-in?
- Inquire: Get information and guide thinking by asking open-ended questions or drawing out answers.
- Listen: Learn about, reinforce, or expand the other’s thinking through checking understanding or testing implications.
- Attune: Build trust or increase openness through identifying with the other or disclosing information.
- Facilitate: Help the other to accept responsibility for taking action through clarifying issues or posing challenging questions
What are some examples of how information can be presented to gain buy-in and support?
reports, case studies, charts, graphs, tables, diagrams, pictures, and visual aids or video
What are 4 possible barriers?
- Limited resources
- Change resistance
- Short-term focus
- Low maturity of learning culture
What is a low maturity learning culture characterized by? (4)
- Belief that learning is separate from work
- Structured silos
- Doesn’t see continuous learning as competitive advantage
- doesn’t view learning as strategic asset
What is a deterrent if the barrier is limited resources or short-term focus?
building a business case can show how the solution is an investment that saves time or money
If the barrier is an immature learning culture, how should the TD professional address it?
Makes strides to influence leadership team; TD must demonstrate how creating an effective learning culture increases collective learning and problem-solving and improves the org’s ability to accomplish it’s mission
What are 2 examples of general resistance to change?
- Individuals fear the unknown
- Individuals fear losing power, control, or influence
How can TD professionals uncover source of resistance?
- Communicating that it is safe to express disagreement
- other options are shown to the resistor
- ensure root cause of problem has been identified
- resolve conflict by focusing on the behavior, not the personality
What are 7 ways TD professionals can minimize and prevent barriers?
- Anticipate objectives and include them in the presentation; be prepared when they arise
- demonstrate alignment to org needs
- provide clarity on how the solution supports org goals and use data
- determine appropriate stakeholders and communicate message at all levels
- continuously engage with all org levels to sustain partnerships
- build long-term partnerships and avoid waiting until a need arises
- Use the org’s informal communication network (grapevine) to lay the foundation for future communication (don’t depend on this tactic because of the risk of inaccuracies)
What is a mature learning culture characterized by? (6)
- Continuous learning - seen as competitive advantage
- Learning and work are integrated
- Organizational, silo-busting perspective
- Strategy integrated with talent
- Learning is collective
- Learning is strategic asset
Be able to distinguish resistance as a result of a short-term focus or limited resources and barriers that are a result of an immature learning culture (such as silos or not seeing learning as strategic or competitive advantage).
What are the different ways to respond to each?
Short-term focus/limited resources: build a business case
Immature learning culture (such as silos, not seeing learning as strategic or competitive advantage, or separating learning from work): Influence leadership team; must show how a learning culture increases collective learning, problem solving, and ability to fulfill mission
