1 / 9

Approaches to Research-based Consultation

Approaches to Research-based Consultation. Ted Zorn Waikato Management School. Objective:. Understand approaches to research and consulting, when they’re appropriate, and their implications for conducting student research projects. Two Approaches to Research : Ethnographer vs. Clinician.

kat
Download Presentation

Approaches to Research-based Consultation

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Approaches to Research-based Consultation Ted Zorn Waikato Management School

  2. Objective: • Understand approaches to research and consulting, when they’re appropriate, and their implications for conducting student research projects

  3. Two Approaches to Research: Ethnographer vs. Clinician Major Similarities: • Both involve fieldwork (i.e., interaction with/in client org) and may involve recommendations for client Major Differences • Goals • Ethnographer= explore an issue in which s/he is interested to further knowledge • Clinician= explore issue about which client is concerned to facilitate organizational improvement • Roles • Ethnographer = researcher; clinician = consultant • Assumptions about organizational change: • Ethnographer: assumes s/he shouldn’t change the organization; clinician assumes s/he should

  4. Models of Consultation • Purchase • Client purchases a ready-made product or service • Doctor-Patient • Client hires consultant to diagnose problems and prescribe solutions • Process consultation • Client hires consultant to help him/her identify problems and decide on solutions

  5. Process Consultation • A general model of helping applied to organizational consultation • Assumes client will be most committed and able to implement solutions of his/her own design • Assumes consultant’s role is a facilitator • Assumes consultant works him/herself out of a job by teaching PC skills to client

  6. Which is most appropriate for communication consultant when… • Client wants a new logo or slogan? • Client wants you to audit current communication practices and suggest changes? • Client wants you to help “fix” relationships with key stakeholders? • Client wants you to help prepare a crisis management plan? • Client wants you to help “re-brand” a product line

  7. Student Research Projects: Which model fits best? • Consider typical features: • You initiate • You lack experience as a consultant • Client has lower expectations than for a paid consultant • Client is less committed to change So, appropriate models for student projects are typically: • For research: (Modified) ethnographer • For consultation: (Modified) doctor-patient

  8. Okay, then what lessons can we learn from clinical and PC models? • Not all your help must be provided in the report; give tentative suggestions earlier in the process • Consider responses to your suggestions as “data” • The most helpful diagnosis and recommendations are ones developed collaboratively

  9. Sources • Schein, E. H. (1988). Process consultation, Vol. 1: Its role in organization development. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. • Schein, E. H. (1987). The Clinical perspective in fieldwork. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

More Related