Most OD practitioners would agree that an open give-and-take relationship with the client is desirable. To some extent this depends on the ability of the practitioner to form relationships of openness and trust.
Good relationships do not fit into a formula or equation, but OD practitioners have noted a number of recognizable characteristics of which the practitioner may be aware. “The change agent should act congruently, in accordance with the values he or she is attempting to superimpose upon the client system’s value system. To use an old expression, the practitioner should practice what he or she preaches. The practitioner must think and act in ways that will create and enhance a positive climate for participation and learning.
The basic value system of the OD practitioner may not be compatible with the organization’s culture. As a result, there may be conflicts between the value systems of the practitioner and the client system. An assessment of the degree of difference and the likelihood of working these differences through should be part of the OD practitioner’s initial intervention. The practitioner may desire to create a relationship of openness, authenticity, and trust. The client system managers, however, may tend not to be open, may have learned not to behave authentically, and may even feel threatened by an exploration of feelings or confrontation by the practitioner; the practitioner may have reservations about the probability of a successful program. The practitioner also examines the degree of conflict and collaboration between organization units and needs to be aware of this to avoid being party to any existing conflicts. “One of the most frequent forms of resistance to change,” comments OD authority Ronald Lippitt, “is the perception by certain subgroups, that the consultant is more closely related to other subgroups and is ‘on their side’ in any conflict of interests.”
Who is Client?
One may say, the client is….
1. Company president
2. Top management group
3. Employee relations person
4. Total company
5. Parent corporation
6. All of the above
7. None of the above.
The correct answer is (7), “none of the above.” The client in OD consultation is never one individual, regardless of position or role, or any particular group, team, or subsystem of the organization, or any combination thereof.
The degree to which a consultant is effective is a function of how capable he or she is at maintaining a certain social distance between self and other individuals in the client organization and its operating on the boundaries of units rather than exclusively within them. In these ways, the consultant can more readily maintain an objective stance between persons and units in conflict rather than being with one or the other.
