Komi
Phase 2 Discussion Board
Dialogue has proven to be an important part of the trust-building process. I have talked to the client a few times about their situation, in order that I might be able to get some clarity and some different perspectives regarding the challenges that they face. I have also been able to get them to open up a bit more about some of the more sensitive aspects of their situation. This has shown to be important, because the client was initially not ready to talk about certain things, and by getting them to open up a bit I have learned some valuable things that will help with the consultancy.
The client has reacted positively to the process, but has definitely proceeded with caution. I think that this is good for the project, because as long as the client is positive, and seems happy to hear from me, we are on the right track. If anything, they would like to see me move into the first round of recommendations. That is something I can do differently -- instead of just talking about the process I can start to bring some valuable insights to the client, so that they can see the process in action.
What has surprised me, a little bit, has been how open the dialogue has become. I expected that the client might be initially reluctant to engage but it has not taken long for the client to open up a bit about their business and all of the different dynamics surrounding it.
The next step is going to start to bring some ideas to the table, but in the form of dialogue. I want to present some thoughts to the client that will ready them for the final recommendations. This is important to keep the process moving forward. Action research is about working with the client to produce recommendations, but it is also an iterative process, which means that it will take time to introduce new ideas, test them, and stick to the ones that work the best. Since it takes time, and we have done enough introductory talking, the time to table some ideas for the client is fast approaching.
Phase 2, Discussion Board 2
I took the role of consultant in response to the client. I made the initial request to work with the client, not the other way around. I would say that I do not really understand this question -- it is referring to some hypothetical situation that is not described.
So basically I will tell the class what they already know. We are to work as consultants with an organization, and that is the role that I have taken. My client wants to maximize its operational efficiency, in terms of getting more donations and then being able to do more with less. I have listened to the client and determined a few important things. If there is adequate metaphor it is that initially I was a doctor listening to the client tell me what it believes its problems to be, both in terms of symptoms and underlying causes. But after that the doctor metaphor falls apart, because it is a metaphor and it is easier just to explain things as they are, without leaning on metaphors.
I am a consultant in this situation, conducting action research. That means that I am working with the client to find solutions to the problems. The action research framework emphasizes that the consultant and the client should work together. The consultant brings knowledge and an external perspective to the issues, and in that way that help the client to understand some of the things that the client is seeing.
I am at this point an expert in terms of what I bring to the table, using my business knowledge and knowledge of business processes to help determine what the issues are, and what can be done to resolve them.
Phase 2, Discussion Board 3
The questions that had the biggest impact on the client were the personal ones. One of the things that one must understand about organizations, if you have studied any type of organizational theory, is that they are comprised of individuals. Ultimately, it is the individuals in organizations that drive their successes and their failures. All the theories in the world will not help if the individuals within an organization are not capable of the roles to which they are assigned. One of the issues that is faced with small organizations, and in particular small not-for-profit organizations, is that they tend to be driven by...
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