Issues in Consultant

Client Relationship
& Action Research
HIRE A CONSULTANT?
 CONSULTANTS TAKE CHANCE TO
CHALLENGE CHANGE

• The consulting firm's challenge is to constantly figure out

how to generate more client value per dollar of cost, and to
demonstrate this.

• Bain and Company would sometimes tell a client that a

proposed project would save the client a specific amount.
If it failed to do that, Bain would make up the difference.
They attracted a lot of clients that way.
 SOME UNIVERSAL
PROBLEMS
Most client-consultant relationships have problems
for largely non-technical reasons, including:

• Lack of effective communication about how the

project will proceed
• Improper expectations setting i.e. too high or too low
• Lack of follow through on small yet important details
• Under estimating project complexity or scope
• Failing to understand user requirements.
• A number of Interrelated issues can arise in
consultant-client relationship in O.D activities
and they need to be managed appropriately
if adverse effects are to be avoided.
• There are certain issues of O.D in
consultant-client relationship like entry &
Contracting, Ethical Standard In O.D etc
 Entry & Contracting
• O.D consulting Contract can occur in various ways
through telephone call to face to face meeting. The
potential client may be present the problem and the
consultant tries to fix the problem
• The consultants and clients begin to sought out
what group should do in order to start the logical
O.D intervention.
• When both the parties agree this becomes part of
the overall psychological contract between
consultants and clients. Contracting, in both
psychological and financial sense, occurs over and
over in OD consulting.
 Defining the Client System
• 1st Model: The initial single manager is the client but as the trusts and
confidence develops between the key clients and the consultant both
begin to view the manager and his/er subordinate team as the client
and then mangers total organization as the client.

• 2nd Model: The top management team comprises the initial client group.

• 3rd Model: the client might be in a steering committee comprising of

representatives from different levels and functional areas. In this case, if
the CEO is not a member, the consultant will need to be sensitive.

Client , actually is more to do with

interactions, interrelationships and Interfaces
than to specific persons or units.
The Trust issue in consultant
client relationship
• A good deal of interaction between consultant and
client is implicitly related to developing a relationship
of mutual trust
• Client’s Trust on the consultant:
• Key clients may be Fearful that-
– Things will get out of hands with an outsider intervening in
the system
– Organization will be overwhelmed with petty complaints
– People will be encouraged to criticize there superiors
• Consultants trust of the client may start as neutral
– Understanding clients mitive
– Trust and resistance problem aslo centers on good guy bad
guy syndrome
– Confidentiality must be maintained
 Consultant’s Expertise
It is possible and desirable for the consultants to be an expert.

Giving substantive advise will tend to neglect the OD Consultants effectiveness

hence:

• Ad OD Consultant need to resist the temptation of being a

content expert & need to clarify his/her role
• “Purchase-of-expertise” or “Doctor-Patient Role” – The
overriding desire to please the client may reduce her/his
effectiveness
• Objective of the OD expert to help the client to develop its own
resources. The expert role creates a kind of dependency that
does not leads to the internal development
• “Seduction into selling role” is dangerous because such
condition may lead the consultant to be no longer in exploring
the problem
• Trust factor
• Expectation
 The Consultant Model
Consultant acts as a role model for the client

• The consultant should practice what

he/she preaches
– The consultant may advocate open
system but suppresses his or her own
feelings about what is happening in the
client system
– The consultant should give out clear
messages
 The Consultant Team as a
Microcosm
• The team must set an example of an
effective unit to enhance its credibility
• Practitioner should also focus on
continuous growth and process renewal
• The team should have effective
interpersonal relationship
• Team maintenance
 DIAGNOSIS & APPROPRIATE
INTERVENTIONS
• Intervention should be appropriate to
diagnosis
• DEPTH OF INTERVENTION
 In Roger Harrison’s terms, depth of intervention
can be assessed using concepts of :
Accessibility: data is public versus hidden
Individuality: self-perception of deviation
 Consultant’s dilemma: “to lead and push, or to
collaborate and follow”
 Performance units
 DOI = STUDY of formal, informal systems and
self
ON BEING ABSORBED BY
THE CULTURE
• Avoid the trap of seeping into organizational
culture
• Incomplete [mis] communication of fears
• Comprehensive feedback then is off limits
• Companion vs. collaborator
• Internal change agents more susceptible
 The Dependency issue and
terminating the relationship
• The termination of relationship is directly
proportional to the dependency relationship between
client and consultant
• The more dependent the client is on the consultant
the more difficult it is to terminate the relationship
• If the consultant is in the business of assisting client
to internalize skills and insights –then it is making
client less dependent on it and in such case
terminating the relationship is not an issue
• Thus the consultants role as a facilitator creates less
dependency and more client growth
 The Dependency issue and
terminating the relationship
• Consultants role as a part educator-this involves consultants
intervention on an on-going basis. It requires open
communication with client about objective of interventions
and about sequence of planned event.
• Relationship between client and consultant depends on:
– Consultant competence : the longer the consultant are
able to provide innovative and productive intervention the
more longer the relationship will be
– Clients resourcefulness and capabilities in OD
– Organizational factors like:
• Internal power struggle
• Crisis
• Top management support
Action Research
 Steps Followed in Acton
Research Model
1) A preliminary diagnosis and action
2) Data gathering from the client group
3) Data feedback to client group
4) Exploration of data by the client group
5) Action planning by the client group
6) Action taking by the client group
7) Evaluation and assessment of the results of the
actions by the client group
 Generic Process In OD
The key aspects of model are diagnosis, data gathering,
feedback to the client group, data discuss and work by the
client group, action planning, and action. The sequence tends
to be cynical, with the focus on new or advanced problems as
the client group learns to work more effectively together.

This process is iterative & cynical

It is a sequence of events and activities within each iteration

(data collection, feedback, and taking action based on the
data); and it is a cycle of iterations of these activities,
sometimes treating the same problem several times and then
moving to different problems.
 Etc.

Joint action planning Action

Action

Feedback to key client

Action planning
or client group
Action planning

Further data gathering Discussion and work

on feedback and
Discussion and work on data emerging data
feedback and data by client group
Data gathering and
diagnosis by consultant
Feedback
Feedback to client group
Consultation with behavioral
scientist consultant
Data gathering
Data gathering
Key executive perception of
problems
 ACTION RESEARCH MODEL

Action step 1
----
Objective

Fact finding Planning

Planning

Given by: Herbert A. Shepard

 Features
• Normative nature
• Centrality of objectives
• Different role requirements of consultant/
change agent vis-à-vis clients.
• Linking to the scientific method of inquiry
• Collaborative relation among scientists,
practitioners and laymen
• Increased richness of knowledge
 Varieties of Action
Research
• Diagnostic
– The scientist enters in a problem situation,
diagnose it and makes recommendations
• Participant
– People affected take part in he entire process of
research
• Empirical
– The participant keeps a systemic extensive
record of what he/she did and what effects it had
• Experimental
– Controlled research on the relative effectiveness
of various action techniques
 Solve the solutions
• Consulting firm needs to focus on areas of expertise and should
communicate its expertise through written articles, speeches, and
exceptional performance. The firm should prepare effective
brochures, ads, and other media. They should build a network of
referral sources with accountants, lawyers, and other professionals.
• Client relationship management
• Develop a good database on each client's activities,
interests, opinions, and other pertinent information that
enables to customize services and communications to
each client.
• Brand-building skills
MANAGING CLIENT EXPECTATIONS to DELIVER???
KPMG: FOLLOW THE VALUE PROCESS
V- VALIDATE
• Are we on the right track?
• How are we doing it?
• Are we meeting expectations?
A- ALIGN
• Understand client expectations of what needs to be done
• Clarify what the client expects long & short term
• Align expectations with client’s key business priorities
L- LEVERAGE
• Boundarylessness
• Most clients’ key business needs by utilizing knowledge,
experience and resources
U- UNDERSTAND
• Summarise your understanding of what needs to be done
• Who is doing what, when?
E- END
• Agree on how and when to review results
• Schedule follow-up date
 7 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
CONSULTANT-CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS
• Be transparent
• Remember to align individual and organizational goals:
that client’s goals are in complete alignment with your
goals- personal growth, career growth, creation of
personal wealth.
• Under commit- over deliver
• Say when you’re going to do it-‘THEN DO IT!’
• Don’t be afraid to tell the client that you have a
difference of opinion
• Offer knowledge transfer in the form of coaching and
mentoring
• Socialize
 CLIENT MEETING CHECKLIST

• History of Client’s business

• In-depth knowledge of client’s products and
services
• Client’s critical business issues
• Strategic direction set by the client’s senior
executives
• Consultancy’s own products and services
aligned with needs of the client
 HOW TO INVESTIGATE
Pre-testing Procedures
• Collaborative approach
• Voluntary participation by respondents
• Site visits
• Post-testing follow-through
• Multiple rounds – test, revise, re-test

Post-testing Methodology
• Qualitative research
• Traditional cognitive interviewing methods
• Adaptations
– Hypothetical questions / probes
– Funnel approach: general specific
– Directive questions / probes
• In-depth unstructured interviews
 Five Common Myths about
Engaging a Management
Consultant
• Only large companies and organizations use
management consultants.
• Companies only use consultants when they are having
problems.
• Once contracted, a consultant will often move quietly
through the organization stirring up concern with
employees.
• Small and medium sized companies cannot afford
consultants.
• Consultants just skim the surface and advise but they
don’t do anything.
 Myth#1- Only large companies &
organizations use management
consultants
• There is and has been a growing trend for small and medium
companies to use consultants. Savvy business owners are
utilizing consultants as temporary and unbiased resources in a
variety of ways:
• to conduct market research;
• to guide in the recruiting and development of a professional and
effective sales organization;
• to identify and resolve human resource issues;
• to assist in designing an ongoing training process;
• to guide the strategic planning exercise;
• to facilitate team building and team performance activities;
Myth#2– Companies only use
consultants when they are having
problems.
• “Don’t wait until you are thirsty to dig your
well.” Successful business owners “Know what
they don’t know” and they anticipate issues that
will come up in the future. Today companies are
pro-active, and rope in experienced professionals
to give an external perspective.
 Myth # 3 – Once contracted a consultant will
move quietly through the organization stirring
up concern with employees.
• The message will be conveyed that you are taking the
next steps to be a successful and well run organization.

Myth # 4 - Consultant fees are only affordable by

large companies.
• Contract on need basis. Investment in a consultant is
far less than what you would pay to hire an
inexperienced, unknown employee. With a seasoned
consultant you are receiving many years of successful
management experience and implementation skills.
 Myth # 5 – Consultants just skim the
surface and advice, but they don’t really
do anything.
• Look for professionals who have real-world experience walking in
the shoes of business people like you and have wrestled with
similar challenges. The best consultants are those with many years
of operational experience who are skilled in clearly identifying the
problem and solution areas that are important to you. This breed
of consultant can not only provide expert advice, but can also roll
up their sleeves and help you confidently implement the solutions.