February 2018 Event with Paul Dunstone

“How do we make the most of a consulting relationship” with Paul Dunstone and Kailopi Tsousis

Paul and Kaliopi’s presentation was a great reminder about the important aspects of working with clients in one’s role as an internal or external consultant. The key was to understand what the work of a consultant is and seeing the nuances that make organisations work, without necessarily interfering. Kaliopi took us through Lippett’s model of consultant activity in problem-solving and the roles that we usually engage in (from observing through to advocating) in contrast to what the organisation might need at a particular point in time and context.

We were also reminded about the five basic activities of a consultant:

  1. Attend to the client system
  2. Attend to oneself
  3. Focus on the energy/excitement in the client system
  4. Facilitate meaningful contact between members of the client system
  5. Help the group learn how to complete work

This was a very valuable and insightful night for OD practitioners; so a big thank you to both Paul and Kaliopi for sharing their wisdom, knowledge and experience.

Here’s Paul talking about the helping role of consultants.

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