ABSTRACT
This book does not permit a full discussion of the influential ideas in the consultation field. Of the people writing and working as consultants in the field, we would link ourselves most closely with Ed Schein and Process Consultation. It may help readers to appreciate the distinctive characteristics of Development Consultation if we describe these below. There is a crucial difference around the material used for the creation of hypotheses. Schein gives very little idea of what he is actually looking for when he is creating an initial direction or hypothesis for his work with companies. The process of change begins much earlier in our process than the 'Action' stage described by Schein. Development Consultation is an approach to the management of change and thus we are more interested in the process of change and its problems and dilemmas than Schein.
