Consulting on the Inside: An Internal Consultant’s Guide to Living and

Working Inside OrganizationsBy Beverly Scott

An Overview Prepared for HRCG Operations by Beth Williams PMP

What is an Internal Consultant?“The consultant is in the business of helping others succeed, and, although

consultants want to succeed in the process, their success is clearly dependent on others. (Bellman 1992)” – page 3

External vs. Internal ConsultingInternal Consultants…begin with relationships and then must

work to gain credibility for their consulting competency.

A Matter of Perception“External consultants immediately have better leverage and are seen as descending from above with wisdom and special counsel. They are trusted because they have experience outside the system and

culture of the organization and, therefore, are not seen as part of the problem. When I was an external consultant, I looked for ways to be congruent with the client system so it would not spit me out like an immune system rejecting a foreign object. If you are an internal consultant working to correct business problems as part of that system or organization, you are less likely to be rejected…” (Diane Foster, Diane

Foster & Associates -- page 15)

Who is the Internal Consultant?Neutral outsider who facilitates resolution of problems or conflicts

Expert who first analyzes the new skills needed and then designs and delivers a training program

Coach who advises executives or managers on the alignment of the culture with the new business strategy

Performance improvement specialist who identifies and addresses performance gaps

Task-force leader who leads and advocates a change initiative

Initiator or influencer who spurs action to address an organizational problem

Internal Consultants are valuable assets.

Skill to analyze and design performance improvement strategies

Expertise to train employees and help them to develop needed skills

Knowledge to align the human organization with the business strategy

Objective viewpoint

Deep understanding of the process of change

Passion about their work

Strong commitment to learning

Multiple Roles of the Internal Consultant

• Traditional model• Relies on knowledge and

expertise of solve the client’s problemsExpert

• Relies more on the intuitive awareness of the consultant

• Help the client to understand what is happening, identify solutions, and transfer skills to the client

• Focus is on the energy of the client system and heightened awareness of the dynamics in the group or organization

Process

Choosing your role as an Internal Consultant

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CONSULTANT• Knowledge of how the industry & business the

organization operate• Understanding of how the organization

generated revenue• Awareness of the competitive challenges to

success• Familiarity with the business’s strategy,

direction, and philosophy• Grasp of core business processes.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CLIENT• Support from management• Involvement from the client• Readiness for change

THE ORGANIZATIONAL SITUATION• Organizational norms• Focus of attention• Relevance of consultant’s expertise to the

situation• Availability of resources

THE CLIENT-CONSULTANT RELATIONSHIP• TRUST• Commitment to success• Client learning/willingness to learn• Clarified expectations

Stages of a career in internal consulting (p.35)

STUDENTMastering a

body of knowledge

APPRENTICE Applying basic knowledge

PRACTITIONERIncreasing

knowledge and skill base

COACH AND MENTOR

Assisting others to develop

professionally

MASTER Leaving your mark & legacy

Tips for success•Publish successful outcomes•Seek feedback•Know yourself•Put your work in writing•Educate others

Internal Marketing

•Relationships are currency•Follow up on discussions by sending articles of interest to the client

•Pitch in to help meet a deadline

Relationship Building

•Do not try to be a supermarket source for everyone’s needs.

•Develop an organization (or account) specific strategy

•Determine how best to add value

Develop a strategy

•Be clear about your role and competencies

•Define expectations•Avoid asking why questions, which lead to defensiveness

•Explore desired outcomes•Seek to understand the issue from the client’s perpective

Learn to confront Resistance

Phases of ConsultingContact

Agreement

Information & Assessment

Feedback

Seeking Alignment

Change Targets & Transition

Strategies

Implementation

Evaluation& Learning

Phase One: Contact – Defining the Need and Building the Relationship

• Do you know or understand • the client’s business?• Organizational-unit function

or purpose?• Level of decision-making

authority?• What might you expect or

surmise about your client’s • Expectations and experience

in working with consultants?• Personal style?• Fears and concerns?

• In your understanding, is the need or request– Clear and focused?– Common across the organization?– Related to an initiative that is

underway?– Tied to business outcomes?

• Are you clear about– Your personal goals?– Your consulting style and approach?– The boundaries of your competence

and knowledge base?– Other resources available to address

the need?

Phase Two: Finalize Agreement

THE AGREEMENT

Confirms the match between the needs of the client and the consultant’s approach and expertise,

establishes parameters of the project, and clarifies the expectations of both the client and the

consultant.

Phase Three: Information & Assessment

PURPOSE

To collect and evaluate information on the strengths and weaknesses of the client system

Identify problem areas

Analyze root causes

ACTIVITIES

Conduct structured or informal interviews

Observe cultural norms, interactions, or performance levels

Distribute customer surveys

Review statistics

The “Do’s” of Interviewing the client

Interviews• keep it “now” – Ask about the person’s

observations, opinions, attitudes and feelings. • ask what and how questions. These open up the

interviewee. Asking “What is it about the ….”• accept what the person says• move from general to specific• take verbatim notes • develop the relationship• control the conversation through empathy• check understanding frequently. • Probe both the positive and negative

Phase Three (cont’d)Ask “What is wrong?” or “What problems are you having”….

The success of this outcome has to do with the manner in which you [the internal consultant] are asking the questions.

Approaching this phrase in the spirit of inquiry raises the tension between the desired future and the dissatisfaction with the present, which can motivate change. CAUTION: focusing too heavily on what is wrong can result in a loss of motivation, create resistance, and demoralize the team.

Phase Four: FeedbackAnalyze the data obtained in Phase Three:• Identify repetitive themes

that are critical to the client’s objectives or desired outcomes

• Report areas the client has some control to influence or changes

• Choose issues that have energy in the organization

• Explore the layers of the problem: how it presented itself, perceptions of how others contributed to it, and the client’s own contribution to it.

Preparing your feedback…• Prepare with the needs of the client

in mind.• Do not place blame on management

or others. Help the client accept the reality of the situation & focus what is within the client’s control.

• Think about possible client objections and resistance to the data. Identify opportunities to bring them to the surface and discuss them.

• Be willing to confront the tough issues.

• Acknowledge and confirm the positive data in the feedback.

• Remember that the data could be wrong or interpretation could be off-base. Be sure to invite the client’s interpretation first.

Phases Five & Six: Alignment and Change Targets and Transition Strategies

Alignment for Next Steps

• The consultant and client agree on the alternatives they will use to address issues.

• Establish and maintain support from management.

• Keep people informed.• Develop a comprehensive &

viable plan

Change Targets & Transition Strategies

• Be clear about what will be changed.

• Change is a learning process; all learning is change.

• Provide training for new skills and behaviors that are required.

• Set up structures to promote shared learning in teams and/or groups.

Guiding Principle: “What people believe and how they think and feel has the utmost effect on everything they do.”

INITIATING• Establishing the need for

changes• Creating the vision and

desired outcomes• Developing the business

strategy• Scoping and organizing

for change• Collecting & Analyzing

data• Building the senior

leadership team• education

RESHAPING• Redesigning:• Work Processes• Structures• Information Systems• People• Rewards

• Implementation Planning

IMPLEMENTING• Taking action and

measuring outcomes• Celebrating successes• Education

Phase Seven: Implementation

Phase Seven: Implementation

Patience

Leadership

Coaching

Communication

Feedback

Recognizing others

Focus on desired outcomes

Success Involves….

Phase Eight: Evaluation & Learning

Discuss with the client how she or he will measure the success.

Ask managers to choose two or three critical performance measures that will demonstrate the influence of the intervention

Measure what matters

Discuss the consequences of the intervention on employee/client morale

Seek both verbal and written feedback from managers and clients in order to help improve the consulting group.

What went well that we would do again?

What problems did we encounter that we could have prevented?

What would we do differently?

What insights did I gain about myself?

What did I do well that I can leverage for the future?

What issues in myself got in the way?