4thegirls

Adults are a dynamic group and in an effort to be the flawless process consultant change is something I will practice. The relationship between the client and consultant is a fragile one even to the degree that they are comfortable with one another and are able to communicate at a deep level. The relationship remains a fragile one. My approach to consulting is to remain true to myself and to my client. If the relationship fails because of my honesty and ethics it will be because that project was not one I should have accepted not because I felt obligated to tempt my value system.

Approaching change as a consultant is the fun part. Having a client agree to implement the change is the part of the process where the work comes into play. I like to explore different problems and try to figure out the big picture. Helping my client to explore with me and ultimately implement my recommendations, if suited for the company, remains a big part of the process.

Consulting in adult learning environments is a skill that I think will never be perfected because I can always improve and will learn something new every day. Adults change that means the processes have to change to keep up.  By devoting time to learn, I will be able to help others learn how to learn and that is the most important thing – self- sustainability.

The session on engagement was exciting. Once we moved the chairs into the circle I could feel my heart beating faster every time it was my turn to talk. The fact that you have nothing barring you from other participants really creates an open atmosphere. I am used to and prefer the classic sit behind the desk set-up. However, when openly engaging my classmates I had to push myself to a higher limit of participation which in turn provided an opportunity for greater learning and connection to the others.

In a corporate setting a circle of chairs would never be used for a meeting. There are specific expectations in the corporate world of what a meeting should look like and what set-up will be used. This is unfortunate. I think a much deeper level of participation would take place if the corporate entities were more open to honest engagement.  Engagement is a powerful tool.  Look how engaged these furry folks are:

The feedback meeting is so important for the consultant and the client. This is the time to paint the big picture based solely on the data gathered. It is not a time for the consultant to project his or her feelings on the client or to ignore resistance when it shows it’s ugly head.

The role play we did in class during the presentation this week was great. Talking out loud, even in a fake scenario, is a good learning experience. Not only do you have to think of what you might say in that position as a consultant of client, but you also have others watching and learning from you during the role play. I hope to never come across a BenMike client during a feedback meeting.

I am excited about the project Ike and I are working on with VAMAC. I think this is going to be a helpful process for the company and for us to learn and gain experience as process consultants. What a joyful occasion it will be when I am able to consult flawlessly.

The section on Deliberate Feedback as a Designed Learning Process was very informative.  “Without accurate, focused, deliberate interpersonal feedback, our efforts to learn are reduced to pure trial and error” (Schein, 1999).  Wow does that sum feedback up in a wonderful, clear statement.  Feedback, especially deliberate feedback where each party is open to receiving in a trusting environment is powerful.  I can think of many situations where I wanted to give feedback to an associate but knew, at that moment, the associate would not have been open to receive the feedback.  Timing is essential for effective, deliberate feedback.

 Tonight’s fishbowl session was helpful because the class asked many questions that I had not thought of during the consulting project planning.  Exploring different angles is important.  Ike and I are coming from different perspectives on this project; I am the internal consultant and Ike is the external consultant.  I think this is a good mix for the organization because I am familiar with the culture and processes and Ike will bring a fresh pair of eyes to the project.  I am looking forward to the feedback session. Whatever the feedback, it will be useful information for the company.

Thought One, I am disappointed I missed the presentation on contracting. My daughter’s trip to the emergency room was no fun and it is very scary to get the call that your child is hurt. I hope to never have to return to the ER.
Second Thought: The contracting stage of consulting is one of the most important as all the ground rules are laid out during this part between the consultant and the client. This stage also brings with it agonies. But if both the client and the consultant are open and honest as to what each needs from the other, the process will run much more smoothly.
Third Thought: I hope to have a much better understanding of the resistance part of consulting as Ike and I are presenting on October 12. There are many faces of resistance and all of them have an impact on the consultant’s role within an organization or a more personal setting.

Status imbalance is powerful. The one-up and one-down scenario is something that occurs on a daily basis in professional and personal settings. Some type of consultation is occurring during most human interaction. Dealing with the status imbalance in the helping relationship and finding a way to create equilibration is vital to a helper/client relationship. One way to deal with this problem is to include the client in the diagnosis and decision-making process. If the client feels like they are making decisions for themselves they will eventually feel equal to the helper because they are helping. One caution to the helper is to not take on the problem alone and feel like it is the helper’s responsibility to find the solution. Including the client throughout the entire progress is part of Block’s flawless consultation.

I enjoyed the exercise in class that allowed me to attempt to put in to use Schein’s types of active inquiry. It is hard for me during the pure inquiry stage because I want to know details that are sometimes left out by the client. I much more enjoy the exploratory and confronting inquiry stages. I need to work on just plain, old listening.

Consulting to me has always meant one who gives advice on a particular topic. The experiences I have had with consultants have been good, but not helpful. I always walked away with tons of “good books” on particular topics. I did not want to go read a book on a subject, I was looking for insight from experiential situations. It is amazing how every consultant has books for reference to almost any topic memorized.  I am glad to know there is more to consulting than what I have experienced. I am excited to know more about the process consulting field and how I can utilize my new found knowledge.
I have to say the onion metaphor was a good, strong example of peeling away layers to get to the core of a problem. Dr. Carter is exactly right about how the problem is being handled or managed is the key to solving the problem.  Tact and facilitation skills are necessary to successfully consult with clients.

This week we give our field project presentations.  My group, Jennifer, Pam, Carri, and I have worked well together to date.  I anticipate a great presentation.  We are concentrating on three interview questions and have put together a survey that was distributed to various individuals in our companies.  I think we need an interactive exercise and will discuss that with our group today.  Looking forward to having one more class behind me and this has been a great one!

Tuesday Kalli, Megan, and April gave their presentation using PowerPoint.  It was a good presentation with a lot of information.  It is interesting to see the varying perspectives regarding human resources. 

Dr. Damico gave us a handout on resolving conflict.  I scored a 13 on collaborating, a 13 on compromising, a 5 on accommodating, a 8 on competing/forcing, and a 8 on avoiding.  This is a great tool to have.  I agree with the different conflict resolution styles and am glad to understand them on a deeper level.  I am already proposing a solution using collaboration here at work regarding a conflict between our retail showroom and one of our satellite branches.  Great stuff.

Overall this course has been very useful for my everyday encounters and responsibilities at work and at home.  This is real life stuff and that is why I feel like it has been very educational and a good use of my time.  Thank you.

We had an opportunity to learn about HRD consulting, organizational development, training and teaching from Marvin Weisbord and Dick Leatherman.  

Marvin is a very interesting man.  I think the takeaway I got from him was the fact that he does not believe in the organization as a place to achieve your goals.  Starting Future Search is an amazing accomplishment.  He is doing what he is passionate about and loves it.  This comes back to something Dr. Damico said the first class, “Identify what you are good at and what you are motivated to be good at.”  If we concentrate on what we are good at and what we are passionate about, we will have successful lives.  I like this line of thinking and believe in it.  The first step for me will be to find out what I am passionate about in my life.

Dick Leatherman has a lot of knowledge, good ideas, and proven skills in his toolbox.  The biggest takeaway from him was the fact that he said there is no difference between quality education for adults and quality education for kids.  He said he has done a lot of the same teaching with adults as with kids and viceversa.  He appreciates a good teacher and finds gratification in helping others learn.

Dr. Damico reviewed evaluations last class and that information, once understood, will be very helpful.  Figuring out how to best use the information I am learning is going to be the challenge.

The effectiveness of using a review at the beginning of a class, especially one where you cover so much material, is very important and useful for me. 

Learner development vs. organizational effectiveness – this comes down to the value system.  What do you value?  Do you value teaching for learning’s sake like a university or do you teach to some how promote your own goals.  Learners can tell if you are there for them or if you are there for yourself. 

The history of HRD, before schools people learned through apprenticeships.  Apprentice, journeyman, master. 

Key developments during the Middle Ages were the invention of printing and moving away from the Latin language.  These two developments allowed education for the masses, not only the privileged. 

Martin Luther advocated for both male and female education and for the dominance of the church in education to stop.  I think this is so important in the way males and females were treated and the opportunities for females to learn.

Pestalozzi was the first person to realize people learn differently “words to things and things to words”.

It is very interesting to learn about the history of HRD and how the labor unions, Scientific Management, and technology have played a huge part in what I am doing today. 

Kurt Lewin and action research, what a difference this made in how we learn and how we learn about how we learn.  Getting out in the real environment is the way to get the best grasp on how the environment affects learning and teaching.  Sitting in an office imagining the effects of the environment does allow for the unexpected.  Forcefield analysis – the forces in one’s life space.  Lewin’s answer to effectively solve a problem was to add more driving forces. This is easier said than done.

Dianne and I facilitated a session on best practices.  A best practice is a particular technique, method, process, or reward that is more effective at delivering a specific outcome than any other technique, method or process.  The idea behind this is that with proper processes and checks a desired outcome can be delivered with fewer problems and unforeseen complications.  The session went great.  We involved the class and demonstrated with role-play techniques.  The feedback from our peers is helpful.  We are putting in place many best practices at my work, VAMAC.  I think it is a great concept that has been around forever, but not called “best practices”.  Individuals have their own best practices, what works for you.  Business have best practices that improve overall organizational effectiveness.

We began a discussion on McGregor and Theories X and Y.  Does X and Y exist in all of us?  I think the answer is definitely a yes and they have to both exist for us to have a balance.