Process Consultation

The process consultant helps the client to see more clearly what is going on around her, within her, and between her and other people. Once the client sees more clearly, the consultant helps the client to figure out what she should do about the situation. The client is helped to remain fully involved and active as the one who is diagnosing and treating the situation. If we allow the client to become dependant on the consultant, then that will cause failure in a complex human systems processes of change.

In process consultation what are the kinds of things observed by the client? The client observes the human actions that happen in the normal flow of work, how meetings are conducted, the formal or informal encounters of the people in the organization, and the formal and informal structures of the organization. It is very important that the client observe his or her own actions and their impact on other people in the organization.

Organizations are networks of people working to achieve some common goals. There are several kinds processes going on between them. The PC model implies that at the base of all organizational issues are issues involving human interactions and processes. No matter what technical, financial, or other matters are involved, there will always be people involved in the design and implementation of them. If an organization wants to improve, then it will need a good understanding of human processes and how to improve them.

The more we understand about how to diagnose and improve human processes, the better our chance will be to find solutions to more technical problems. Also, the more we understand about human systems and process, the greater our chance that solutions will be accepted and used by organization members to cause positive change in the organization.

Area of Process Consultation