The client-consultant relationship is usually treated as central to the nature of a management consultancy work. Though it is true that consultants need to have a clear conceptual picture of their definition of consultation, and they need to understand how the operational model they choose helps facilitate their effectiveness as consultants, experiencing and understanding the process steps of being a consultant is where it all comes together.
In this paper, the following questions will be examined:
•How does the consulting process operate?
•What are the different behavioral roles of a consultant?
•How do these roles change during the different consultant phases?
•What are the consequences for the consultant-client relationship when the consultant changes roles during the consultant phases?
We will now introduce the profiles of the companies, namely Pool Consultancy and Halliburton, where the interviews were conducted.
In the second part, the theory of the consultant-client relationship and the change of roles in the consulting process will be discussed. We have noticed some consequences when the consultant is a process helper or a content helper, although good content-focused consultants often possess excellent process skills and use them as a regular part of the consulting process.
Then, an analysis of the interviews in connection to the topic chosen will be done. Finally, the conclusion will be drawn.
[...] I prefer both so that they get the feeling that we take our clients personally and work individually with each of them. How often do you feel the proposal should be worked on? How often do you adjust your proposals? That happens every once in a while. Sometimes I adjust the proposal or even make a completely new one. Which steps do you follow if the client is reluctant to accept your first proposal? Everything happens for a reason. By preparing a proposal I delve deeper in my client's situation. [...]
[...] (1997) - The concept of client from a process consultation perspective: a guide for change agents, Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol No - Steele, F. (1975) - Consulting for Organizational Change, University of Massachusetts Press, Amherst, MA. - Burnes, R.B., Cooper, C., West, P. (2003) - Organizational learning: the new management paradigm?, Management Decision, Vol No - Granovetter, M. (1985) - Economic Action and Social Structure: The Problem of Embeddedness, American Journal of Sociology, Vol.91, No.3, pp.481–510. - Dewayne et al. [...]
[...] The consultant-client relationship The behavioral roles of the consultant According to Kubr (2002), a behavioral role describes how consultants relate to clients, what inputs they make, and in what way and how intensively clients participate in the consulting process. The roles assumed depend on the situation, the client's preferences and expectations and the consultant's profile. Literature suggests that there are different schools of thought regarding the role of business consultants. Kakabadse et al. (2006) listed many different roles (see table I). [...]
[...] What are the consequences of the possible role changes in the consultant- client relationship? The more frequently you have contact with the client, the closer you get to him. You learn him better and thanks to that you communicate easier in time of problems as well as in time of solutions. What are the attributes to establish an efficient, lasting and trusting consultant-client relationship? The most essential attribute is to be yourself! Interview 2. Halliburton Name: Bert de Vries Age: 51 Place of birth: Baflo The Netherlands Education: Senior Secondary Vocational Technical Education (MTS-WTB) Field of Study: Mechanical Engineering Company name: Halliburton B.V. [...]
[...] The aim is to determine what the consequences on the independent variable will be when the consultant changes his roles during the consulting process Profile of the Companies & Interviewees Pool Consultancy The North and North-west employment service organization is a part of Pool Holding. Some of the main characteristics of PC are short communication lines; everyone is encouraged to be an independent entrepreneur willing to take initiatives. The target group: small- & medium-size businesses and non-profit organizations. The consulting activities of PC include: 1. [...]
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