ABSTRACT

Analysing, describing, and recommending are all daily tools in the consultant's work when establishing change in organizations. Such tools are, necessary and relevant for a structural kind of consultancy. But the kind of consultancy work that addresses cooperation and management—that is, which is directly related to interrelations—demands another approach. The consultants were working very skilfully with individuals, but the ability to use group dynamics in the process were limited. A part of the job consists of recruiting personnel and managers, and that role is rather traditional consultancy work: analysing, describing, advising, and deciding. It seems that the systemic way of working with consultancy introduces a dilemma in the traditional perception of the consultant and his or her role as agent of change. A process consultant works much more with clarifications and implications than with causes and effects. This is the real difference when we begin working with systemic consultation.