Intervention Methodology
Lecture 1 introduction: meeting your team & choice problems
01-02-2022
2 multiple choice questions for 4 weeks 0.5 points extra
Messy problem
- Stakeholders
o Different perceptions, goals, power: conflict
o Diverse views for the decision: biased interpretation
- How they happen?
o Social context with high complexity creating a great disagreement among stakeholders
- How to approach it?
o Structured participatory process: systematic approach with uncertain properties, involves
stakeholders with different perspectives, interest and power
- Issue’s roots are complex and tangled, is difficult to understand and changes with every
attempt to address it, there’s nothing to indicate the right answer to the problem, challenges
has no precedent, involves many stakeholders.
Les in 01.520
Lecture 2 importance of working with a group in consulting process
7-2-2022
Block 1: What is necessity of working with group instead of individuals
- Two important arguments
o Human actions and behaviour
Practice is usually more unruly than laboratory
We have to unravel the problem and need to discover what it really is about (next
criterium)
We have to understand how politics work and what the consequence might be for
human behaviour
How decisions influence behaviour of humans
Several parties may play or should play role in solving a problem
Managers or the board do not always have a good idea of what is going on within
the operational core or primary process. Just want the problem solved, not
interested in what problem is
Consequence of this position – behaviour is twofold
o It is the role of members of operating core and consultant to make clear
wat exactly the problem is
o Its role of consultant to convince the top of organisation that developing
another commitment will be helpful to tackle such problems without hiring
consultant
Employees want to be heard, recognized in what they contribute.
o The nature of problem
There are several participants or problem owners. That requires a consultant –
consultancy team that has insight into and a feeling for dealing with group process
There is more than one department involved with a certain process or problem
1
, Reciprocal coupling
If there are more parties involved, problems usually arise at the interfaces
One of the most common problems in real life is that hardly anyone develops a
helicopter view of problem (system thinking)
- Power and content
o How important the content is, in many situations problems are solves along the lines of
power
o You do not only have to deal with participants in problem situation, and with content and
power positions; you shall also have to connive the top of creating a playing field where it
is possible to work on content
o Before the start of process, playing field should be clear to everyone
o Knowing that power is important is no excuse for not having excellent ideas for finding
solutions for the content
o If you do not want to deal with power, don’t become a consultant.
Block 2: Position of consultant
- The more experienced you are, you are not relying on your methods but on what you see
and hear.
- What is important to do
o To be a partner for all participants
o Create an atmosphere of openness
o Design with the participants the rules of the game
- What is important to avoid
o To become the referee: you are no longer in a position of trust
o To become the expert; then no one has to do anything because in the end you will give
the solution
o To become the pleasant conversationalist
- Process consultation
o The creation of a relationship with the client that permits the client to perceive,
understand and act on the process events that occur in the clients internal and external
environment in order to improve the situation as defined by the client.
Schein (1969)
Does not say anything about content and process.
- Translating the definition to a group
o Building a relationship with all group members
o Recognizing that everyone’s problem definition matters
o Creating a situation in which all group members together can start to work on
improvements in their environment.
- If you have to deal with a group and there is power, content is important, but more
important to figure out what is going on in the process.
- Important to look at different perspectives, figure out what is bothering them.
Block 3: How to do it
- Make an intervention about what is going on (content)
- Be aware of social conflicts or different interpretations of the problem
- If necessary make a work out of the existing tensions, solve the tension and then move on
with the content.
2
Lecture 1 introduction: meeting your team & choice problems
01-02-2022
2 multiple choice questions for 4 weeks 0.5 points extra
Messy problem
- Stakeholders
o Different perceptions, goals, power: conflict
o Diverse views for the decision: biased interpretation
- How they happen?
o Social context with high complexity creating a great disagreement among stakeholders
- How to approach it?
o Structured participatory process: systematic approach with uncertain properties, involves
stakeholders with different perspectives, interest and power
- Issue’s roots are complex and tangled, is difficult to understand and changes with every
attempt to address it, there’s nothing to indicate the right answer to the problem, challenges
has no precedent, involves many stakeholders.
Les in 01.520
Lecture 2 importance of working with a group in consulting process
7-2-2022
Block 1: What is necessity of working with group instead of individuals
- Two important arguments
o Human actions and behaviour
Practice is usually more unruly than laboratory
We have to unravel the problem and need to discover what it really is about (next
criterium)
We have to understand how politics work and what the consequence might be for
human behaviour
How decisions influence behaviour of humans
Several parties may play or should play role in solving a problem
Managers or the board do not always have a good idea of what is going on within
the operational core or primary process. Just want the problem solved, not
interested in what problem is
Consequence of this position – behaviour is twofold
o It is the role of members of operating core and consultant to make clear
wat exactly the problem is
o Its role of consultant to convince the top of organisation that developing
another commitment will be helpful to tackle such problems without hiring
consultant
Employees want to be heard, recognized in what they contribute.
o The nature of problem
There are several participants or problem owners. That requires a consultant –
consultancy team that has insight into and a feeling for dealing with group process
There is more than one department involved with a certain process or problem
1
, Reciprocal coupling
If there are more parties involved, problems usually arise at the interfaces
One of the most common problems in real life is that hardly anyone develops a
helicopter view of problem (system thinking)
- Power and content
o How important the content is, in many situations problems are solves along the lines of
power
o You do not only have to deal with participants in problem situation, and with content and
power positions; you shall also have to connive the top of creating a playing field where it
is possible to work on content
o Before the start of process, playing field should be clear to everyone
o Knowing that power is important is no excuse for not having excellent ideas for finding
solutions for the content
o If you do not want to deal with power, don’t become a consultant.
Block 2: Position of consultant
- The more experienced you are, you are not relying on your methods but on what you see
and hear.
- What is important to do
o To be a partner for all participants
o Create an atmosphere of openness
o Design with the participants the rules of the game
- What is important to avoid
o To become the referee: you are no longer in a position of trust
o To become the expert; then no one has to do anything because in the end you will give
the solution
o To become the pleasant conversationalist
- Process consultation
o The creation of a relationship with the client that permits the client to perceive,
understand and act on the process events that occur in the clients internal and external
environment in order to improve the situation as defined by the client.
Schein (1969)
Does not say anything about content and process.
- Translating the definition to a group
o Building a relationship with all group members
o Recognizing that everyone’s problem definition matters
o Creating a situation in which all group members together can start to work on
improvements in their environment.
- If you have to deal with a group and there is power, content is important, but more
important to figure out what is going on in the process.
- Important to look at different perspectives, figure out what is bothering them.
Block 3: How to do it
- Make an intervention about what is going on (content)
- Be aware of social conflicts or different interpretations of the problem
- If necessary make a work out of the existing tensions, solve the tension and then move on
with the content.
2
