Process Consulting
Process Consulting is a relational approach to management consulting rooted in humility and inquiry. Process consultants accompany their clients through a process of discovery that empowers the client to develop their own solutions by creating the conditions for these to emerge.
Process Consultants are experts in a broad range of tools and theories related to human dynamics, adult learning, leadership and culture change.​​ By supporting clients to try tools that are different from what they have used before, clients’ develop additional capacity to approach their challenges in new ways.
As the process unfolds, everyone learns together what works best for them. As such, each process is unique and results in a custom solution.
Process Consultation was developed by Edgar Schein in the field of Organization Culture / Organization Development at MIT in the 1950s. He continued to publish books on the topic until 2021, shortly before he died in 2023 at the age of 94.
Phases of Process Consultation
Although Process Consulting is not a linear process, we've done our best to describe the various phases.
We may move back and forth between phases as we discover and test new tools and ideas.
CONTRACTING
DATA COLLECTION & DIAGNOSIS
Through interviews, surveys, or workshops, we explore the presenting problem by listening to the people who are experiencing it. We identify themes in the data that paint a picture of the current organizational culture.
EVALUATION & EXIT
We reflect on what we learned so that the group has the capacity to continue to adapt to their changing context.
FEEDBACK & SENSE-MAKING
The process consultant facilitates a process whereby members of the client organization collectively make sense of the data gathered. They determine next steps to address the problem or opportunity.
INTERVENTION & ACTION
With these new insights, the organization implements the action plan they have co-developed, adjusting as they learn. The process consultant holds this process so members of the client organization can act as full participants in it.
The process begins with establishing a trusting relationship between us and key members of your organization. We work together to define the scope of the project, making sure everyone agrees on the goals and what success looks like.