related case studies

Change management Corporate universities Training planning & evaluation

A large consulting firm wished to develop a program to train consultants in change management. Ten people experienced in that area generated 71 statements describing the kinds of skills and knowledge that change management consultants need in order to be successful. The eleven cluster map that they generated was further subdivided into five regions, three describing personal characteristics (Learning Styles, Personal Characteristics, and Interacting with People) and two more directly devoted to the application of personal skill and knowledge in the act of change management consulting (Doing the Work of Change Management and Applying Personal Knowledge Capital).

Figure 1. Concept map of the skills and knowledge needed by change management consultants.

Subsequently, the ten participants rated how important each characteristic was for persons who were relatively new to change management consulting (i.e., six months in the practice) and relatively experienced (i.e., five years).

Figure 2. Pattern match of ratings of importance of change management consultant characteristics at six months and five years.

The major differences between the two were a bit surprising -- more experienced change management consultants need greater creativity and ability to see the "big picture." Also somewhat surprising is that management and partnering skills were seen as relatively unimportant, although they were slightly more important for more senior consultants.

Table 1. Statements in the "Creativity" cluster Change Management Consulting.

	is a holistic thinker(1)
	is a systemic thinker(7)
	has the imagination of a 5 year old and the analytical skills of a professional(15)
	anticipates success(17)
	can look at things from various perspectives (IOR) consciously(25)
	can define and break out of the box (wild duck/creative)(34)
	is comfortable with complexity and ambiguity(58)