Process Consultation

Helping Models

Schein locates process consultation in juxtaposition to two others approaches, what he calls (1) the doctorpatient model and (2) the purchase model. The doctorpatient model of helping is predicated on the familiar process of an individual experiencing pain and going to a doctor, who performs a diagnosis and prescribes a remedy which the individual implements. This form of helping—in other words, drawing on the knowledge of experts—is both common and useful. For this approach to work properly, several elements have to be in play: (a) the individual or client needs to reveal the necessary information for a good diagnosis, (b) the expert needs to have the necessary expertise for diagnosis and prescription and (c) the client has to accept the diagnosis, to implement the prescription and remain healthy afterwards. In the purchase model, the client purchases the skills of the expert. Here too, it depends on the client identifying the problem correctly so as to engage the relevant expert and impart the relevant information in order that the problem may be solved in such a way that the client accepts what the expert has done and remains healthy after the expert leaves. The organization equivalents of these two forms [Page 658]of helping are (a) when external experts are brought in to perform an analysis and to write a report with recommendations for organizational action or (b) when external expert skills are brought in to design and install technology or other systems.

In keeping with the definition provided above, process consultation focuses on building a collaborative relationship between consultant and client so that the client sees what is going on, develops some understanding and builds a plan to take action. It is based on the underlying assumptions that (a) managers often do not know what is wrong in an organization and so need a special kind of help to understand what their problems actually are and (b) they often do not know what kinds of help consultants can give and so need help in knowing what kind of help to seek. They need help in being able to identify what needs improving and what does not. They may want to solve the problems themselves, but they need help in deciding what to do. Accordingly, process consultants need to have skills in establishing a helping relationship, knowing what to look for in an organization and intervening in such a way that organizational processes are improved.

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