Fer van den Boomen is a PhD student in the department of Change Management & Organization Behaviour. (Co)Promotors are prof.dr. C.P.M. Wilderom, dr. J.van Uden and dr. S. Beltman from the faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences.
SUMMARY
Not just fish: How management consultants can stimulate learning processes.
According to the literature, management consulting is not only about fixing problems (‘giving fish’): it is also about enabling clients to realize sustainable change (‘teaching how to fish’). However, stimulating learning can be quite a challenge for management consultants in practice.In this thesis, the task of management consultants is approached as ‘shaping an appropriate learning environment for their clients’. The focus of this thesis is on how management consultants stimulate learning processes within the client system to get the desired results: especially in dealing with complex problems that require innovation, hence 2nd order learning by the client. Three studies were conducted to design an action repertoire which management consultants can use in practice.In the first study, 51 management consultants were interviewed about their work. Grounded Theory was used to analyze the transcripts. The ‘espoused theory’ of management consultants appears to consist of four different roles which they undertake to stimulate learning processes within the client system.In the second study, the focus was turned to the ‘theory in use’ by management consultants to stimulate 2nd order learning processes within the client system. Exemplary practice research was used to reflect systematically on the ‘striking moments’ of 18 management consultants in practice. Comments from another 95 management consultants were obtained on the outcomes of this reflection. Subsequently, ten principles were designed which management consultants can use to stimulate 2nd order learning processes within the client system. The four roles from study 1, combined with study 2’s ten principles, resulted in 40 options that management consultants may use in a heuristic manner. The pragmatic validity of this action repertoire was confirmed by 43 management consultants.
In study 3, the action repertoire was also validated by means of a systematic literature review of management consulting.
Although this research was limited to management consultants in the Netherlands, the action repertoire can contribute to the ‘theory of practice’ of management consulting: to make management consultant actions more explicit, concrete and precise.
Further research may reveal how the action repertoire is actually used in practice, by advisory as well as by other helping professions.
