Unit 4 of 4 · MBA Sem 3
Unit 4: Consultant-client relations and contemporary issues
Organizational Change and Development notes · PTU syllabus (MBA 931-18)
3 min read7 topics10 exam questions
On this page
Unit summary
The consultant–client relationship can make or break an OD effort, and OD itself keeps evolving. This unit covers entry and contracting, defining the client system, trust, consultant expertise, diagnosis and depth of intervention, dependency and terminating the relationship, ethical standards, and contemporary issues in OD, including the quality movement.
After this unit you can
- Explain entry, contracting and defining the client system
- Explain trust, expertise, diagnosis and depth of intervention
- Explain dependency, termination and ethical standards
- Discuss contemporary issues in OD and the quality movement
PTU syllabus topics
- Entry and contracting
- defining the client system
- trust
- consultant expertise
- diagnosis and intervention depth
- dependency and terminating the relationship
- ethical standards
- contemporary issues in OD and the quality movement
- 1
Entry
First contact and fit
- 2
Contracting
Goals, roles, fees
- 3
Diagnosis
- 4
Intervention
- 5
Evaluation
- 6
Termination
Avoid dependency
1
Topic 1
Entry and contracting
- Entry: initial contact between consultant and client — exploring the problem, the client's readiness and the fit between them.
- Contracting: agreeing on goals, roles, deliverables, time, fees, confidentiality and ground rules. The psychological contract (mutual expectations) matters as much as the formal one.
2
Topic 2
Defining the client system
- The client may be an individual manager, a team, a department or the whole organisation; the contact client, primary client (owns the problem) and ultimate client (all affected stakeholders) can differ (Schein).
- Initial client: usually the person who calls the consultant; the client system often widens as the work proceeds.
3
Topic 3
Trust and consultant expertise
- Trust is built through confidentiality, honesty, competence, consistency and acting in the client's interest.
- Consultant expertise: process expertise (helping groups work) and content expertise (knowledge of the business problem); OD consultants traditionally lead with process but increasingly combine both.
- Internal vs external consultants: internal know the culture but may lack independence; external bring objectivity and fresh perspective; internal–external teams combine strengths.
4
Topic 4
Diagnosis and depth of intervention
- Diagnosis precedes intervention: understanding the system's functioning through interviews, questionnaires, observation and records.
- Depth of intervention (Roger Harrison, 1970): intervene at a level no deeper than required to produce enduring solutions, and no deeper than the client's energy and resources allow.
- Deepest
Personal feelings, values, self-concept
- Deep
Interpersonal relationships
- Moderate
Work styles and behaviour
- Surface
Structure, procedures, roles
5
Topic 5
Dependency and terminating the relationship
- Dependency: clients may rely too heavily on the consultant; the goal is to build the client's own capability.
- Ways to avoid dependency: joint diagnosis, skill transfer, internal facilitators, gradual withdrawal.
- Termination: planned exit when goals are met or the relationship is no longer useful; review outcomes, institutionalise changes, agree follow-up.
6
Topic 6
Ethical standards in OD
- Issues: misrepresentation of skills or results, misuse of data and breach of confidentiality, coercion of participants, conflicts of values, creating dependency, technical ineptness.
- Standards: informed consent, voluntary participation, confidentiality, competence within one's expertise, honesty about outcomes and fees, avoiding harm (codes of the OD Network and the International OD Code of Ethics).
7
Topic 7
Contemporary issues in OD and the quality movement
- Quality movement: TQM, Six Sigma and continuous improvement share OD values — participation, teamwork, data-based problem-solving, customer focus. OD supports quality initiatives through team building, culture change and employee involvement.
- Contemporary issues: digital transformation and agile ways of working, hybrid and remote teams, diversity, equity and inclusion, employee well-being, mergers and culture integration, sustainability, use of people analytics, dialogic OD (change through conversations and narratives).
Key terms
- Contracting
- Agreeing goals, roles and terms of the OD engagement
- Primary client
- Person or group who owns the problem
- Depth of intervention
- Level of emotional involvement an intervention requires
- Dependency
- Client's excessive reliance on the consultant
- Dialogic OD
- Change through dialogue and new narratives
Quick revision
- Entry, contracting, psychological contract.
- Client system: contact, primary, ultimate clients.
- Trust; process vs content expertise; internal vs external consultants.
- Diagnosis; Harrison's depth of intervention; dependency and termination.
- Ethical standards; quality movement; contemporary issues.
Important exam questions
Practice questions written to the PTU exam pattern for this unit's syllabus: short answers (Section A style) and long answers (Sections B and C style).
Short-answer questions
- Q1.What is contracting in OD?
- Q2.Distinguish the contact and primary client.
- Q3.State Harrison's criteria for depth of intervention.
- Q4.How can client dependency be avoided?
- Q5.Name two ethical dilemmas in OD.
- Q6.How is OD linked to the quality movement?
Long-answer questions
- Q1.Explain entry, contracting and the definition of the client system.
- Q2.Discuss trust, consultant expertise and depth of intervention.
- Q3.Explain issues of dependency, termination and ethical standards in the consultant–client relationship.
- Q4.Discuss contemporary issues in OD and its link with the quality movement.
Stuck on this unit?
Message SBS on WhatsApp for help with Organizational Change and Development, or to ask about studying MBA at Synetic.