The Role of the Internal Consultant - Management & Business ...

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‘Internal Customer’ values:On the face of it, it might seem that a strong ‘internal customer’ value would align well withinternal consultancy activities. However, in practice this is more likely to create tensions as thecustomer’s need for a speedy solution and sense of entitlement to that meets the consultant’sdrive to explore the problem in more depth, or maybe even to challenge the initial problemscoping.Relating this high customer-focused value to the consultant roles determined by Schein (1969)shows the challenges this can bring for an internal consultant:Consultant roleExpertHigh internal service expectationDeliver solution quickly without high client involvementCustomer needs met earlyNo systemic approach to diagnosis – allows expert toexpress problem in his/her terms so capability/knowledgeretains within specialist areasPair of HandsReasonably aligned with high customer-focused valuesFocused on meeting customer needsPower lies with customerProcessWorks against notion that the ‘customer is always right’Working collaboratively may be construed as ‘passing thebuck’Customer expectations for solutions may not be metwithin the desired timeframeIn some cases a clear distinction between the concept of ‘customer’ and ‘client’ has not beenestablished when developing an internal consultancy group: rather one approach has overlain theother, causing confusion in both the consultant’s expectation of his/her role, and the client’sexpectation of the working relationships. One example highlighted this: in a large manufacturingcompany, an internal consultancy group had been established to provide HR interventions atdivisional levels. As the group developed an awareness of their role, they began to understandwhere providing solutions (to what were often complex people issues) did not help the client inthe long-term. In fact, as stated above, these actions were helping to create a higher level ofdependency – particularly once the client had built a strong relationship with the consultant and‘knew where to go’ with an issue. But whilst individual consultants recognized the need tomove towards a process consultancy role, the message from their manager, a Director, was thatthe Internal Customer model of working should prevail. This began to lead to frustration andquestions about the strategic relevance of creating the consultancy group in the first place.23
Data gathering and diagnosisThis stage of the consultancy cycle, as with others, can provide challenges for both the internaland external consultant. On the face of it, the internal consultant should more easily be able toaccess information in the organisation either through primary or secondary methods. However,sometimes the role of someone working internally can be viewed with suspicion and so accessto certain individuals or information may prove difficult if full trust has not been established. Apositive advantage for the internal consultant can be an ability to identify with the culture andvalues of the organisation and how they impact on behaviour. A skilled consultant will be able toidentify how they are impacted by what is happening in the organisation as a member of thatsystem and use themselves as a live part of the diagnosis. For example if communication ofchange is leading to confusion and anxiety in the organisation, the internal consultant is alsolikely to experience this. If they are able to stand back and assess what they are experiencing,this can be another valuable source of data contributing to the overall picture of what ishappening.Those working internally will have to deal with their own feelings of discomfort and anxietyabout the changes before they can effectively support others – working to uncover dissonancein their own value systems before working with others. The internal consultant can easily findthat clients become overly dependent on them as experts. Managing client anxieties assomeone working internally with their own fears and concerns about change and how this mightimpact on them can also result in unhelpfully co-dependent relationships.It will be really important for the internal consultant to demonstrate the behaviours they aretrying to influence in others when selecting methods for data gathering and diagnosis. In this waythey will be able to build credibility and respect by “walking the talk”. Issues of confidentialityare also key during this process. External consultants are more likely to be trusted to respectconfidences and act impartially, so the internal consultant needs sometimes to work harder atdemonstrating a commitment to keeping confidences.At the contracting stage it will be even more important to clarify with the client what exactlycan be kept confidential and what they expect in terms of information being passed on.Early termination of the consultancy assignment can take place where the client has beensurprised unexpectedly by the emerging data, which goes beyond the original contract or termsof reference.Options for Moving Forward/InterventionsThe options generated after the data gathering and diagnostic stage will depend on the nature ofthe contract which could include a wide range of possible strategies. These will be decidedupon collaboratively with the client or suggested by client or consultant operating as ‘expert’.The research brief for this project did not include an investigation of the interventions made byinternal consultants, however it is clear that the internal consultant needs to be familiar with therange of tools and approaches used by external counterparts. Many internal groups involved inthe research were able to point to the ways in which they had developed internal capabilitiesthrough working with externals – in fact some appointed externals purely for this purpose!24
Page 6: AcknowledgementsThe authors would l
Page 9 and 10: The research highlighted how some o
Page 11 and 12: • Build the competence: Provide c
Page 13 and 14: Whilst most writing on consultancy
Page 15 and 16: The researchOver the past year and
Page 17 and 18: decision makers (often the clients)
Page 19 and 20: Client readiness and capabilityThe
Page 21 and 22: In practice, the research shows, th
Page 23: Pair-of-hands or Purchase-Supplier
Page 27 and 28: true engagement and commitment. Whi
Page 29 and 30: We researched the key criteria for
Page 31 and 32: Establishing an external consultanc
Page 34 and 35: Case Study 2The Internal Consultant
Page 36: needs. This can be difficult when
Page 39 and 40: Another benefit of the short module
Page 42 and 43: Annex AChecklist of Consultant Comp
Page 44 and 45: Working as an agent of change Skill
Page 46: Roffey Park Institute, Forest Road,

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