The work of a consultant – in complex change processes

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There could be a number of reasons for a company to hire a consultant; but often the main one is found in a need for support in some kind of a development process. It is however, far from always that a company’s wish for development and/or for help is unambiguous and based solely on a positive desire for change.

The wish for help is usually combined with a feeling of insecurity,

anxiety and reluctance towards the work that needs to be done

to achieve the goal.

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Thus working as an agent of change you can not count on the full

support of the company. On the contrary; often you will have to

work with conflicting and contradicting interests, not only between

people but also within the individuals.

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At times it can be a very tough and thankless task, and at times

consultants are tempted to let the task go and to revert to different

types of less threatening interventions that offer less resistance

and - at least here and now - a greater satisfaction for the

customer.

Experiences drawn from not the least the psychoanalytical

clinic tell us that when creating lasting changes in social

systems, the work with resistance is an essential part of a

development process.