cameron and green making-sense-of-change-management

The applicationsthe technical solution is often rather thin. This means that when the clientgets the end product, he or she is not always happy, having taken littleinterest until the finished item hits his or her desk.The pair of hands roleHere the client sees the consultant as an extra pair of hands. The clientretains full control. The consultant is expected to apply specializedknowledge to implement action plans towards achievement of goalsdefined by the client.The consultant takes a passive role and does not question the client’splans. Decisions on how to proceed are made by the client. The consultantmay prepare recommendations for the client’s review and approval.Collaboration is not really necessary and two-way communication islimited. The client initiates and the consultant responds. The client’s roleis to judge and evaluate from a close distance.When IT people take this type of role with their clients, problems occurbecause the manager may not have selected the best solution, and theconsultant did not feel that he or she could question what he or she wastold to do.The collaborative roleIn this case problem solving is a joint undertaking. Consultants working inthis mode apply their special skills to help clients solve problems; they don’tsolve problems for the client. The consultant and client work to becomeinterdependent. They share responsibility 50/50 for action planning, implementationand results. Control issues become matters for discussion andnegotiation. Disagreement is expected and seen as a source of new ideas.The consultant’s goal is to solve problems so that they stay solved. Nexttime the client will have the skills to solve the problem.In this mode, the relationship between consultant and client is creative,productive and responsibility is shared. This is the most appropriate rolefor IT people to take with clients in today’s complex organizations.However, it demands that IT people acquire skills beyond the technical.Some clients will see this type of relationship as slow, and may interpretcollaboration as some form of obstruction. They will want to gain accessto the quick results that the ‘experts’ used to give them, which will leadthem to the problems highlighted above with the expert role.294