Consulting Process
Consultation involves providing guidance to organizational stakeholders. It requires the ability to diagnose problems or identify opportunities, develop effective solutions, win support for the solutions, and then implement them effectively. For HR, guidance often involves using HR expertise to improve the organization's performance so that it can take advantage of opportunities and achieve strategic objectives.
The Consultation and Analytical
Aptitude competencies combine to equip HR professionals to be organizational
problem solvers, presenting sound, evidence-based proposals to leaders to
improve performance, as shown in this case.
HR identifies a turnover trend in
a particular business segment-specifically, a higher rate of turnover than
should be expected. The head of the segment wants to know why this is happening
and suggests that the fault might be in the candidates who are put forward for
the roles.
Drawing on her analytical skills,
an HR professional gathers pertinent data and information about the segment's
workforce: which roles are most affected, the demands placed on workers in the
high-turnover roles, and other aspects of the segment's work, including
comparisons with other roles within the segment and in similar areas elsewhere
in the organization. HR finds that the employees were all identified as
potentially solid hires, with appropriate skills and competencies, that there
were no red flags raised related to employee satisfaction or performance, nor
were the employees involved in any disciplinary processes. This suggests that
the fault does not lie with the hiring process. HR engages the functional
managers in further discussion and uncovers the fact that the turnover positions
are all very high-stress and that the segment has a tendency to treat all work
as urgent and time-sensitive. There are strict deadlines, and many unexpected
activities often arise and force the individuals to work quickly and without
breaks.
Analyzing their findings, HR
identifies the causes that contributed to the high turnover. Using this data,
HR then works with the managers and the employees to identify new ways to
approach the work that will relieve some of the tension, increase breathing
space, and also provide time for breaks-that is, to make the employees feel
like they are not in a constant, never-ending sprint.
The new methodologies take time
to implement, but HR continues to consult and work with the managers and the
employees to assess the effectiveness of the changes and to overcome any
obstacles that might impede progress until the new approaches become routine
practice.
Consulting Model
Throughout the four steps that make up the consulting model, one of HR's key responsibilities is communication with and management of stakeholders. A stakeholder is anyone whose work or experience is affected by the potential outcome of a change initiative-including employees, managers, vendors, and customers.
The four steps in the consulting
model unfold within the change management process. From beginning to end, HR
professionals should be aware of the organization's (or individual's or
group's) readiness to change and the members' ongoing emotional responses to
changes. They should plan and then implement ways to increase acceptance and
assimilation (sometimes called buy-in) of new values and practices.
Define the Problem
During a discovery phase, HR
collects data to define the gap between desired and actual performance and identify possible
causes for the gap (for example, misalignment of competencies, leadership models, structures,
or cultures) as well
as to identify potential threats, challenges, and liabilities that could be addressed by a change
initiative. Information that will affect the eventual plan is also gathered.
Data should be collected from all
relevant internal and external stakeholders- decision makers, managers, staff,
partners, and perhaps even customers. Information gathered at this point will
help in the design of an effective and efficient initiative. Stakeholder
involvement in designing the solution will improve the eventual implementation,
since people support what they help create. Involvement can also provide
information that will help identify specific requirements of certain
stakeholders as well as manage expectations and fears of change.
Data is sorted and analyzed so
that results can be reported to stakeholders in a way that helps them
understand the observations and decide an appropriate action. This involves
many of the skills associated with the Analytical Aptitude competency.
It is important that consultation
findings:
·
Focus on conditions that can realistically be
changed, given the organization's environment and resources and given the
attitudes of the organization and the receptiveness of its members to change.
·
Are based on sufficient and specific evidence
and are presented neutrally.
·
Select a few areas for attention, prioritizing
data findings by frequency and impact on strategic performance. Too many points
of action may lead to client paralysis.
Design and Implement the Solution
Criteria for an effective
solution are defined and an appropriate tactic for development is chosen-for
example, job assignments or a mentoring program. The implementation may be
managed as a separate project, using traditional project management skills to
direct and control the initiative and make sure that it meets the defined
objectives within the allocated budget and resources. Successful implementation
may depend on the ability to motivate employees to move through the sometimes
difficult period of adjusting to new conditions and practices. This may include
providing necessary support (for example, more time to adapt to new
expectations, new tools, training in new skills). Communication skills are
critical-being alert to verbal and nonverbal messages, providing appropriate
information at the right times, reporting results when required, and giving and
seeking feedback.
When teams/stakeholders are
involved in a decision, apply a typical problem-solving approach:
·
Explore the decision to be made fully, so that
all influences are understood.
·
Generate multiple options, define criteria for
an effective choice, and analyze each.
·
Select the best solution and implement it.
·
Evaluate the decision and the decision-making
process when the decision's outcomes are clear. Were there enough quality
options? Were the right criteria used? Were key individuals actively engaged in
reaching consensus?
Measure Effectiveness
The solution's effects are
measured to determine if the objectives of the consultation have been met and
if the consultation has had the desired strategic impact (for example, faster
decision making, better teamwork, better output). HR's effectiveness as a
consultant is reviewed as well, and plans for improvement are made, Experiences
are monitored and documented for later study. Problems in implementation are
identified and addressed.
Sustain the Improvement
The new process is monitored to
encourage continued effort. HR provides guidance to leaders about ways in which
new values, attitudes, or practices can become institutionalized or applied in
different areas. Ensuring that stakeholder management is promoted within HR is
essential to sustaining an organizational culture that is receptive to change.
Tools for Group Decision Making
One of the challenges in
consultation is creating group commitment to the chosen course of action. The
group decision-making tools described in Exhibit 45 are effective in engaging
all participants and creating a logical path toward consensus.
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