| Expert
Role |
Pair-of-Hands
Role |
Collaborative
Role |
| I have neither the time nor the inclination to
deal with this problem. You're the expret; find out what's wrong and
fix it. You have a free hand to examine the operation and do
whatever analysis is necessary. Keep me posted on our findings and
what you intend to do. |
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 elects to play an inactive role. |
The consultant takes a passive role. |
The consultant and manager work to become
interdependent. |
| Decisions on how to
proceed are made by the
consultant, on the basis of his or her expert judgment. |
Decisions on how to
proceed are made by the
manager. |
Decision making is bilateral. |
| Information needed for problem analysis is
gathered by the consultant. |
The manager selects methods for data collection
and analysis. |
Data collection and analysis are joint efforts. |
| Technical control rests with the consultant. |
Control rests with the manager. |
Control issues become matters for
discussion and
negotiation. |
| Collaboration is not required. |
Collaboration is not really necessary. |
Collaboration is considered essential. |
| Two-way communication
is limited. |
Two-way communication
is limited. |
Communication is two-way. |
| The consultant plans and implements the main
events. |
The manager specifies change procedures for the
consultant to implement. |
Implementation responsibilities are determined
by discussion and agreement. |
| The manager's role is to judge and evaluate
after the fact. |
The manager's role is to judge and
evaluate from a close distance. |
|
| The consultant's goal is to solve the immediate
problem. |
The consultant's goal is to make the system
more effective by the application of specialized knowledge. |
The consultant's goal is to solve problems so
they stay solved. |
| Challenges |
| in a climate of fear/mistrust, consultant might
not get what they want/need.
recommendations carry no sense of ownership for the client.
|
Inappropriate assessment
by manager means
implementation will be flawed.
Managers prefering this role for consultants see collaboration as
questioning managers authority, experience, or both.
|
Those preferring
expert see this as foot
dragging.
Those who prefer pair-of-hands see this as insubordination.
|
Source: Peter Block's
Flawless Consulting, pp. 21-27,
based on Ed Shein's Process Consulting Revisited: Building the Helping
Relationship. |