Some Basic Tools

The Consultancy Cycle

Increasingly HR are having to take on the role of internal consultant, as part of their Business Partner and Change Agent role discussed earlier in Chapter 8. In order to be able to perform in this way HR needs to be familiar with the Consultancy Cycle.

Phase 1 – Gaining entry: This is where HR either decides for itself that it is going to need to get involved in a specific business situation/problem, or where they are invited in by their business colleagues (i.e. the internal client) to help identify a solution to a specific business problem. In the former scenario HR will need to capture the attention of their business colleagues, in order to get them to listen. This is where HR needs to come across as being knowledgeable (a) about issues that are getting in the way of business performance, (b) options for addressing performance issues and (c) current and future trends, drawn from the external world.

As many business leaders are more comfortable working with quantitative data than qualitative data, then it is important to draw on this type of data to build a persuasive argument.

Given the topic of knowledge management some of the quantitative data that could be drawn on here is: hard to fill vacancies, breakdown of staff turnover figures, number of suitable candidates coming forward for new positions, reduced response time for HR issues being resolved.

Phase 2 – Contracting: Having got the internal client interested in a particular issue/problem then the next step is to agree on who is going to do what and when, so in essence agree what the next steps are. This could simply be a matter of agreeing to do some more diagnostics, or take some soundings from others within the organisation.

Phase 3 – Data gathering: Depending on the outcome of Phase 2, a period of data gathering will often be needed. Some of the choices that need to be made here are (a) what type of data is needed (b) how will it be collected (c) how much data is needed and (d) who will do the data gathering. Each of these areas will need to be discussed and agreed with the internal client.

Phase 4 – Making sense of the data: This involves drawing on various analytical tools as well as different conceptual models to help make sense of the data that has been gathered. This can be a joint process with clients, depending upon their needs and expectations. Certainly the client can be used as another means of validating the data that has been gathered.

Phase 5 – Generating options, planning for change: This is where HR as the internal consultant needs to offer some creative solutions, and not just suggest standardised training and development solutions.

Here there needs to be a discussion about responsibilities for implementation, so who needs to what and when and also what resources need to be made available? Again there are some choices to be made. Will HR be fully responsible for implementation? Will the client be responsible for the implementation? Will it be a partnership approach? or Should others be brought in to manage the implementation?

It may also be necessary at this point to re-visit some of the earlier steps, prior to going into more detailed implementation planning. It certainly is important at this stage to map out key success criteria for the project.

Phase 6 – Implementation: This is fairly explanatory, in that it is the execution of the agreed plan. However, as difficulties often emerge at the implementation stage it is important to ensure that there is a continuing dialogue with clients during this phase. This is one of the value-adding aspects of the internal consultancy role. Implementation is never seamless, but it needs to be seen as rich ground for learning.

Phase 7 – Disengaging: Some of the areas that need to be considered here include planning a learning review session, agreeing a maintenance plan, ensuring some form of celebration to mark the end of the project, helping the client think about the next steps and evaluating outcomes.

The Change Cycle

One of the competencies required of successful change agents is demonstrating an understanding of the change cycle, in terms of the reactions and emotions experienced by individuals when undergoing change in their lives. Geraldine Brown of the Domino Consultancy has developed the classic transition curve, turning this into a model that can be used by change agents working within an organisational context, see Table 11.1.

Table 11.1: An adaptation of the classic transition model

Transition phase	Likely reactions	Ways of helping individuals move on
Reluctance	Uncertainty, antagonism towards the proposed change	Open dialogue Space to think
Awareness	That change is desirable	Drip in options and possibilities Share stories from outside
Interest	In the possibilities that the change might bring	Listen Help in visualizing the outcomes and benefits
Mental tryout	Imagining the new situation and how this might impact on self and others	Tease out positive forces Help establish connections
Real-life practice	Piloting new ways of working or experimenting with new ways of being	Provide resources to help set up pilots Help in spreading success stories
Implementation	Extending the pilot across a broader population	Provide more resources Support with evaluation
Commitment	Enthusiasm and commitment to make the change work	Ensure that enthusiasm is recognized and rewarded
Integration	Changes become embedded into day-today practice	Help people to reflect on the change process – What helped? What hindered? What next?