dinsdag 13 december 2011

Hoe wordt ik een goede consultant?

Een paar jaar geleden gaf mijn zwager Jorg een tip over een boek wat ik in zijn ogen moest lezen. Flawless consulting van Peter Block. Als je consultant bent en dit boek nog niet kent, dit zou mijn eerste tip zijn. En om daar wat kracht achter te zetten zal ik een citaat opnemen waar ik persoonlijk veel van geleerd heb, een valkuil waar ik redelijk vaak ben ingestapt; consultant als “extra handjes”.

Consultant as an extra "pair-of-hands"
Here the manager sees the consultant as an extra "pair-of-hands".
The manager says in effect, "I have neither the time nor the inclination to deal with this problem. I have examined the deficiencies and have prepared an outline of what needs to be done. I want you to get it done as soon as possible". The manager retains full control. The consultant is expected to apply specialized knowledge to implement action plans toward the achievement of goals defined by the manager.

Here are some of the clues that the consultant is acting as a pair of hands.

The consultant takes a passive role. The order of the day is responding to the manager’s request, and the consultant does not question the manager’s action plans.

Decisions on how to proceed are made by the manager. The consultant may prepare recommendations for the manager’s review and approval.

The manager’s selects methods for data collection and analysis. The consultant may do the actual data collection in accordance with procedures outlined by the manager.

Control rests with the manager. The consultant is expected to make suggestions, but the outright disagreement is avoided as this would be seen as a challenge to the manager’s authority.

Collaboration is not really necessary. The manager feels that it is his or her responsibility to specify goals and procedures. The consultant can ask questions for clarification.

Two-way communication is limited. The manager initiates and the consultant responds. The manager initiates in a descriptive or evaluative mode.

The manager specifies change procedures for the consultant to implement.
The manager’s role is to judge and evaluate from a close distance.
The consulant’s goal is to make the system more effective by the application of specialized knowledge.

The major problem emerges in the discovery phase. In a pair-of-hands mode, the consultant is dependent on the manager’s ability to understand what is happening and to develop an effective action plan. If the manager’s assessment is faulty, the action plan won’t work. The consultant who provided the “service” becomes a convenient scapegoat.

To avoid the big trap, the consultant may ask for time to verify the manager’s assessment. And then the consultant may face other problems—managers who have a preference for consultants who take on the pair-of-hands role may interpret such requests as questioning their experience, their authority, or both.

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Het hele boek staat vol van dit soort voorbeelden. En ook de manier waarop je hier mee om moet gaan zodat je consultancy zuiver houdt. Ik zal geen link geven waar je dit boek kunt bestellen, maar in de UK of VS is het boek zelfs inclusief verzendkosten een stuk goedkoper. Go get it!

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