COMM : Applied Organizational Communication Instructor: Dan Lair Day Nine: Resistance and the Consulting Process September 26, 2005

Today’s Agenda Brief Continuation of Last Week’s Discussion Brief Review: Consulting Models Discussion of Weisbord, Lange Group Meeting Time(If Time)

Brief Review: Consulting Models The “Expert” Model The “Pair of Hands” Model The “Process” Model

Discussion Questions for Weisbord, “‘Third Wave’ Managing and Consulting” Weisbord’s model, in many ways, can be seen as a blending” of the four perspectives we’ve developed so far. Where do you see evidence of this (or, do you not see evidence of this)? What are the implications of such a blending for consultants and managers? On p. 265, Weisbord says he prefers to focus on “economic” and “technology” rather than “the people problem.” Why? What problems might arise from not focusing on the people problem? What problems might a focus on the “people problem” present?

Discussion Questions for Lange, “Seeking Client Resistance” What is resistance? Why is it important? How would you compare Lange’s discussion of resistance to Weisbord’s? What are the typical ways of overcoming resistance, according to Lange? What are the limitations of those approaches? What alternatives does Lange suggest? If, as Lange suggests, consulting is fundamentally about persuasion, how is persuasion different in consulting than in a public address? What are the implications of those differences for consultants/managers?