All through the life of the change process, the drivers tend to be based
around growing the relationship - improving the association so that you develop
a high degree of trust and responsiveness with the client. However, as this
relationship grows, so the level of dependence grows between the various
players. The trouble is that at the end of the day, both you and the client have
to let go and break away from the relationship. The onus is on you to ensure
that at the point of departure all unnecessary levels of dependence have gone
from the relationship.
Although not seen in all consulting projects, a common pattern is seen in
Figure
67. The first stage is where you meet the client. There is still a
freedom of choice about the relationship, like a couple out on a first date
sizing each other up. Once there is an agreement that a relationship will be
formed, you will typically have quite a high level of dependency on the client.
You will need help to understand the working of the system, access to the right
people and confirmation that the initial work seems to be effective. However,
once the process goes in the Create and Change stages, there is a shared
dependency - both parties have invested time and reputation is the relationship
and cannot afford to see it fail at this stage. Once beyond this, you are
probably coasting and might well be starting to think about the next project.
However, now the client has a strong dependency on you to prove that the outcome
is as agreed otherwise it might reflect poorly on him or her. At the final
stage, both you and the client should be back at the start of the loop, able to
reflect on the relationship in the cold light of day. It is from this rational
position that any decision is taken to pursue further options for working
together.
Problems can arise where you try to close the relationship while the
client is still dependent on you. Change projects often fail because the
consultant has gone and the client and the consumer are left high and dry
without the real confidence or ability to run with the change.
(c) Mick Cope