As consultants, we are the sherpas and guides who help organisations navigate the highs and lows of change. But not all consulting relationships are created equal. The type of relationship we build with our clients can and will make a huge difference to the outcome.
In this blog, I lean heavily on the work of Edgar Schein, a pioneer in organizational psychology. Schein provides probably the most robust framework for consulting through his concept of process consultation. His insights help us understand the different roles consultants play and the impact these roles have on organizational transformation.
Let’s explore the different types of consulting relationships and examine the pros and cons of each. Which consulting role will you choose?
1. The Pair of Hands: The Carpenter
In Schein’s framework, the “pair of hands” role aligns with situations where the client needs skilled execution for specific tasks. Imagine you’re called in to help a client renovate their house. They have the plans, the materials, and a clear vision. All they need is someone with the skills to get the job done. Enter the “pair of hands” consultant, the trusty carpenter of the consulting world. The “pair of hands” acts as an implementer, taking direction from the client, and executing tasks as assigned.
Pros:
- Execution Mastery: You get to roll up your sleeves and dive straight into the task.
- Clear Directions: With a detailed plan in hand, there’s little room for ambiguity.
- Cost-Effective: Clients get skilled labour without the overhead of full-time employees.
Cons:
- Limited Strategic Input: Your role is more about doing than thinking.
- Limited Autonomy: The consultant has minimal input to the approach and strategy.
- Directive: The client defines the problem and the solution, and the consultant executes the task.
- Faulty Problem Diagnosis: What if the client, in the absence of wider collaborative thinking, wrongly diagnoses the problem leading to the wrong solution being put in place?
Picture it: A retail company needs to implement a cloud-based CRM. They’ve got the plan, but not the necessary workforce. As the CRM-certified pro, you step in, configure, and roll-out the system, following the client’s blueprint to the letter.
Takeaway: Works for well-defined, hands-on projects. But if you’re looking to make a long-term impact, this might not be the best fit.
2. The Expert Consultant: The Doctor
Schein recognizes the value of expertise, especially in complex situations where specialized knowledge is needed. The “expert consultant” plays the role of the seasoned doctor. Your patient (the client) has a complex condition (a tricky business problem), and they need your specialist knowledge to diagnose and treat it.
Pros:
- Specialist Knowledge: Your deep expertise is your greatest asset.
- High Expertise: You offer high-level guidance and innovative solutions.
- Problem Solver: Focuses on diagnosing and solving specific problems using your expertise.
Cons:
- High Costs: Expertise comes at a price, which not every client can afford.
- Implementation Challenges: Your strategic advice might be tough for clients to implement without ongoing reliance on you.
- Disconnect: Your high-level perspective can often feel detached from the tough, everyday realities of organizational life.
- Dependency: The consultant defines the problem and the solution, leading to an imbalanced dependency on you.
Picture it: A manufacturing firm struggles with supply chain inefficiencies. As the expert consultant, you analyze their operations, diagnose the issues, and prescribe solutions that streamline processes and reduce costs.
Takeaway: Can work for complex, strategic challenges. But requires effort and focus to ensure solutions are actionable, sustainable and supported by the client.
3. The Process Consultant: The Gardener
And then, there’s “the gardener.” Not just any gardener, but one who nurtures a sustainable, thriving garden. You don’t just tend to the client’s garden, you help them understand their soil, plants and ecosystem, guiding them to cultivate their own flourishing environment. This is the essence of the process consultant. A key differentiator of the process consultant is that they work collaboratively with the client to diagnose problems and develop solutions.
Pros:
- Sustainable Change: Your influence leads to long-lasting improvements.
- Collaboration: You build strong, trust-based relationships.
- Facilitative Approach: The consultant focuses on facilitating the client’s understanding of their own processes and encourages them to develop their own solutions.
- Inclusive: Engages the whole organization (involving people from different parts and levels of the organization) to ensure diverse perspectives, and lasting and meaningful change
- Internal Insights: Leverages the knowledge and insights of the organization’s employees on the basis that those who are closest to the work are best placed to identify issues and propose solutions.
- Developmental Focus: Aims to build the clients problem-solving capabilities.
Cons:
- Time Intensive: Cultivating a thriving garden (or organization) takes time and patience because solutions must emerge rather than arriving as a pre-determined answer from your back pocket
- Initial Disruption: Changes can be disruptive at first, and not everyone will be on board.
- Cultural Resistance: Some clients may resist the deep changes and processes you’re championing.
Picture it: A healthcare organization wants to lead a fundamental transformation of its entire operating model. As the process consultant, you work with them to define their strategic direction, and understand their current and future state (including future work and decisions, structure, processes, people skills and behaviors), leading to better patient care and operational excellence.
Takeaway: Process consulting is best for fostering long-term, sustainable change, where the consultant helps the organization diagnose and improve its own processes. Unlike traditional consulting, which often involves delivering solutions, Process consultation focuses on facilitating the organization’s ability to solve its own problems. The client remains the expert in their own organization, while the process consultant is an expert in the process guiding the client through the change end-to-end.
Process consulting requires patience and a collaborative spirit, but the results are deeply rewarding for both the client and consultant.
Choosing Your Path
So, which consulting relationship will you choose?
- The Carpenter: Works well for specific, task-oriented projects where skilled execution is key.
- The Doctor: Great when expert knowledge is needed.
- The Gardener: Essential when long-term, sustainable change is the goal.
My Preference: The Process Consultant (Of Course!)
Personally, I lean towards the gardener’s path. In process consultation, there’s something profoundly satisfying about empowering clients to find their own answers, nurturing their growth, and watching them flourish long after the consulting engagement ends.
Process consultation empowers employees, fosters a culture of learning and continuous improvement, and leads to sustainable change. What gives many process consultants a sense of pride is that we leave our clients with the skills and capabilities to solve their own problems in the future.
Final Thought
Whether you are an internal or external consultant (I’ve been both!), helping an organization navigate change and overcome challenges requires more than a one-dimensional approach to consulting. It demands a deep understanding of the nature of consulting relationships, and how each role impacts transformation outcomes.
So fellow consultants, here are a few questions for you to reflect on:
- Which consultant role do you find yourself playing most of the time?
- Does occupying that role make you feel energized and fulfilled?
- If you had no constraints or limitations, which consulting role would you choose?
About The Author
Dawn Powell is an Organization Design Consultant with over 10 years’ experience of working in Organization Development and Design. In her work, Dawn enjoys ‘anything that enables people to connect’ and takes pride in remaining curious about how systems can be transformed through Organization Design.
