| p>You'll know a consultant and the extent to which | | | | destructive conflict that frustrates and undermines |
| the advice they give you is flawed by the underlying | | | | high-performance. |
| theoretical models that their advice is based on. So | | | | - Actionable: To what extent are the corrective |
| argues Chris Argyris in his powerful and eye-opening | | | | actions actionable in the sense that: a) they outline |
| book, "Flawed Advice and the Management Trap." | | | | detailed concrete behaviors that will produce the |
| Argyris analyzes representative examples of over | | | | desired results, b) they can be crafted so people can |
| 100 books and myriad articles published by the | | | | be taught and learn the concepts, behaviors, and skills |
| world's most respected business gurus, and then | | | | required to produce the desired results, and c) the |
| uses his own theoretical model (theory of action) to | | | | implementation of the corrective actions will not be |
| evaluate the advice they give readers. His study | | | | frustrated and/or undermined (overtly-covertly, |
| includes the likes of Stephen Covey, John Kotter, Jon | | | | intentionally-unintentionally) by the organizational |
| Katzenback, Peter Drucker and other | | | | context and cultural norms within which they are |
| business-literature experts. He concludes that much | | | | embedded? |
| of the advice given by these authors is appealing and | | | | - Commitment: To what extent will the change |
| even compelling, but most of it is not actionable. In | | | | associated with the corrective action process require |
| other words, even if a manager could fully implement | | | | external versus internal commitment to accomplish, |
| the advice these business luminaries give them, the | | | | and is this message clear and unambiguous to all |
| resulting corrective actions would not lead to the kind | | | | participants? External commitment means that |
| of positive change and sustainable improvement that | | | | participation in the corrective action process is part of |
| the authors claim it would. | | | | a manager's or staff member's roles, responsibilities, |
| Argyris concludes that, "Since thoughtful and | | | | and performance goals that they will be evaluated on. |
| well-intentioned advice givers do not intentionally | | | | Internal commitment means that managers and staff |
| offer counsel that is full of gaps and inconsistencies, | | | | members have adopted the knowledge, skills, models, |
| there must be something in the frameworks on | | | | and philosophy associated with the corrective action |
| which they rely that makes them unaware of these | | | | process as part of their personal value system. Are |
| problems - as well as unaware that they are | | | | different levels of commitment required by different |
| unaware." Here are four criteria that the Breckenridge | | | | populations in the organization, e.g. top managers and |
| Institute® staff has distilled from this | | | | middle managers must have internal commitment, |
| groundbreaking book that managers can use to | | | | while supervisors and staff members only need |
| evaluate and judge the degree to which corrective | | | | external commitment? |
| actions proposed by external consulting firms or | | | | Of course Argyris assumes that managers who hire |
| internal consultants will actually lead to long-term, | | | | consulting firms actually want advice that identifies |
| sustainable, positive change in their organizations. | | | | underlying causes of poor performance and leads to |
| - Reliable: To what extent are the corrective actions | | | | long-term, sustainable, positive change. But field |
| based on an underlying theoretical model of | | | | experience in organizations shows that this is not |
| organizations, work-groups, human interaction, and | | | | always the case. All too often consulting interventions |
| cognitive operations-preferences that is reliable, e.g. it | | | | are undertaken without any intention of actually |
| describes and predicts the actions, interactions, and | | | | taking corrective action on the issues identified or |
| overall performance of organizations, work-groups, | | | | implementing change. Rather, consulting firms and the |
| and the people in them? | | | | interventions they conduct are often used to |
| - Valid: To what extent are the reasoning and | | | | appease higher-up managers by appearing to take |
| assumptions that underlie the corrective actions valid | | | | "action" to correct situations and/or as last ditch |
| in the sense that they have been reflected on, made | | | | damage control in situations where conflict, toxicity, |
| explicit, and subject to public tests and scrutiny to | | | | and ineffective performance have gone on far too |
| deconstruct organizational defense mechanisms and | | | | long. Managers who use external consulting firms or |
| establish the "organizational truth" of what's really | | | | internal consultants in the ways described above |
| going on in the situation? Validity helps avoid the | | | | should not bother reading Argyris' monumental book. |
| self-fulfilling and self-sealing cycle that creates and | | | | But managers who actually want advice that leads to |
| sustains ineffective-invisible cultural norms, | | | | long-term, sustainable, positive change should read |
| organizational defense mechanisms, tacit beliefs and | | | | and digest the wisdom and insights in Flawed Advice |
| assumptions that are not reliable (as defined above) | | | | before they pay for one more day of organizational |
| and are based on stereotypes, and patterns of | | | | consulting. |
| interaction between key personnel that create | | | | |