Management Consultants ExpertJim Yates
Jim Yates has 25 years experience as a senior manager and consultant, is a tutor on the Open University Business School MBA and Leadership Development programmes, acts as a mentor in the Huddersfield University Management Development Programme, and consults as a personal & executive coach to senior managers in the public and private sectors.
To Team or Not to Team
by Jim YatesManagement consultants face a dilemma with every assignment, should they work as part of the client’s team or adopt a more detached approach. Each has its advantages and risks – so how do you decide?
The first thing to recognise is that it is not an all or nothing decision. Some phases of the assignment will require a teamwork approach: at other stages you need to stand back. Similarly, you can take on different roles in the team at different points in the project.
There will be stages where you need to lead the team, those where you are covering shortcomings in the team’s make up or development and others where you are providing specialist knowledge. You may also be working with or in several teams as the assignment progresses. It is critical that these stages are planned carefully – particularly the exit phase, as you will want to leave the client with a stable and productive team.
To make the right decisions at each stage you need to take account of:
- The nature of the assignment
- The Client and his situation
- The phase of the assignment
- You, your style and capabilities.
The Assignment
Some types of assignment are more suitable for a team-based approach than others as illustrated in the diagram.
Assignments with a strong audit element are probably best handled with a strong degree of detachment as you need to demonstrate your independence and that you are operating in the best interests of the client organisation rather than the sponsors of your work.
Developmental assignments need a team-based approach otherwise; it will be your change not the client’s so you must get everyone involved.
The Client
The most appropriate way to work in any situation depends heavily on the client and his situation. You need to think about both the content of the assignment and the context. You would do well to ask yourself:- What is the relationship between the sponsor of your work and the intended audience?
- Is the customer taking the action under duress or by choice?
- Do all of the participants agree?
- What are the dominant coalitions in the client organisation?
- Does the organisational culture support the aims of the assignment?
- What is the climate?
- High or low energy?
- Hostile or supportive?
- Threatened or Motivated?
In the second part of this article, we'll look at how the phase of the assignment, and your capabilities, impact the type of relationship you should establish with your client.
(c) 2005 Jim Yates