How Well Do You Understand Discovery and Data Gathering in

OD Consulting?

ADLT 610 Adult Education and HRD Consultant

Virginia Commonwealth University© 2008

The Rules

Rotate questions among teams

30 seconds to discuss your responses with team member(s)

One LIFELINE per team for the duration of the game

10 points for each correct answer

Lifelines

Eliminate two wrong answers

Class vote on correct answer

Select one person (other than the professor!) in the room to answer the question for you

Which of these is the single most important theme for an OD consultant according to Peter Block in Flawless Consulting?

Understanding the nature of client

resistance

Developing an authentic relationship

with the client

Demonstrating expertise in facilitation

Stating needs and wants

Developing an authentic relationship with the client at all times.

Note: This is even more important than understanding resistance because without authenticity you are not effective in naming

the resistance you see.

Knowledge of organizational politics

Helping clients change without remaining dependent

on consultant expertise

Naming the resistance the consultant sees

Expertise in discovery and data gathering

What is the most important service that an OD consultant has to offer a client?

Helping clients change without staying dependent on consultant expertise in the future.

Ours is a teaching role to help the client learn how to solve similar problems in the future. See p. 173, Chapter 10

Which of the following are NOT part of the business of the data collection / discovery phase:

Doing layers of analysis (peeling the

onion)

Dealing with resistance that

resurfaces

Seeing the interview as an intervention

Determining the type of intervention that is

necessary

Determining the type of intervention

This step occurs after the decision to proceed has been made. It is a part of engagement and implementation.

Which of the following is a specific skill involved in the discovery process of consulting?

Unfreezing, moving, and refreezing the system

Distinguishing between the presenting problem and the underlying problem

Understanding the relationship between

behavior, the person, and the situation

Deciding who will be involved in the project

Distinguishing between the presenting problem and the underlying problem

All but one of the following is necessary in the discovery step of OD consulting. Which is not part of the consultant’s role?Asking questions about what others are doing to cause or

maintain the problem

Obtaining info on both the technical problem and the

way the problem is managed

Noting similarities between how the client is managing the problem and how the client is managing YOU

Contracting for doing the project in a way that minimizes the client’s

exposure and loss of control

Contracting for doing the project in a way that minimizes the client’s exposure and loss of control

Note: this is a contracting phase step

The ultimate goal of the discovery phase is to do which of the following?

End the relationship with the client

Handle the client’s resistance to change

Develop a clear and simple picture of the

problem

Evaluate the success of the intervention

To develop a clear and simple picture of what is causing and maintaining the client’s problem.

Beyond the technical aspects of the discovery phase, it is most important that the consultant focus on ….

The relationship with the client

Maintaining a balance between presentation

and participation

The right questions to ask

Focusing on vision and leadership

The relationship with the client.

See p. 178. Without trust in the consultant and the client’s commitment to change, none will ever occur.

The purpose of the discovery phase is ….

To get to action, not to do research on the client’s problem

To state clearly what you need from the

client

To outline the kind of information that you

seek

To provide an overview of the

product you offer

To get to action, not to do research on the client’s problem

See page 175, 176 in Flawless Consulting.

Which of these is NOT one of the steps in data collection and discovery:

Summarizing the data Discussing the history of the organization

Selecting the data collection method

Making the decision to proceed

Discussing the history of the organization

Which of these is NOT a truism of the discovery and data gathering phase of OD consulting?

Lack of time is the major reason why discovery is not

successful The presenting problem is

never the real problem

How the problem is being managed is often more

significant than the technical or business problem itself

Resistance can take many “faces,” but it always occurs

Lack of time is the major reason why discovery is not successful

Note: Not enough time is usually posed by resistant clients who are worried about issues of control and vulnerability

Understanding how the problem is being managed involves all but which one of these?

Personality stylesNorms for individual behavior

Status differences Leadership styles

Personality styles

See pages 194 and 195 in Flawless Consulting .

Which of these is a viable alternative to third-party data collection, analysis, and feedback?

Determining the type of intervention that is

necessary

Management pooling their resources to solve the problem

Employing a whole-system discovery

process

Turning the problem over to a technical expert to solve

Employing a whole system discovery process such as Future Search.

The entire client system is then involved directly in redefining the problem, naming a desired future state, outlining alternative

actions, and deciding how to proceed.

If you completed this version of the Millionaire Game with a team score of least 30 points, then you ...

1. Read the assigned chapters. 2. Understood them well!

Congratulations!