How to Build Helping Relationships

At Certified Project Management we take a process consultation approach that highlights the importance of dealing within the reality of the client system and jointly assessing opportunities for improvement and diagnosing problems as they occur.

Process Consultation was developed in the 1960's by Edgar H. Schein at MIT. The following is a review of Mr. Schein's seminal work in the field.

Book Report: Process Consultation Revisited: Building the Helping Relationship. Schein, Edgar H. (1999) Addison- Wesley.

By David Faith, PMP

In only 256 pages including extensive bibliography and index, Edgar H. Schein’s book, Process Consultation Revisited: Building the Helping Relationship , (Addison Wesley 1999) succinctly yet thoroughly, steps the reader through lessons learned from over 40 years of consulting and teaching experience in the field of Management and Organizational Development. During that time, Dr. Schein literally defined the field of Process Consultation which is a method of engagement that places priority on understanding and developing relationships, human systems, and efficient processes . The Author is the Sloan Fellows Professor of Management Emeritus at MIT. In addition to a Harvard PhD in social psychology he also holds an MA and BA from Stanford University. Since 1952 he has published several other books and papers on Process consultation, as well as Management and Organizational Psychology.

Process Consultation (PC) is extremely relevant to today’s Project Management. If you have ever found yourself on a project engagement without direct authority, entering a new group, leading diverse groups of people, responsible for managing change, or working in a matrix reporting relationship where lines of authority are blurred or ambiguous, then this book was written for you.

As the title suggests, the focus of the book is to help the reader understand in a practical sense “how to be helpful.” To this end, Schein’s key assumption is “One can only help a human system to help itself.” From this perspective Schein draws on his background and experience to illustrate both obstacles and opportunities that present themselves to the practitioner.

The book is well organized and each chapter ends with detailed case studies and practice exercises that ensure that the reader is left with a clear understanding of the subject matter which will often be elaborated in subsequent chapters. The book is roughly organized in four main sections.

The first section defines Process Consultation, the psychodynamics of helping, listening, and using various techniques including active inquiry. He begins to examine the role relationships of the consultant and client. Here, it is important to note that Schein’s use of the term “client” and “consultant” throughout the book, denote the person being helped, or asking for help, and the helper, respectively. Thus, these terms are generally applicable in many work and life situations.

The second section describes what Schein terms the ORJI cycle which stands for Observation, Reaction, Judgment and Intervention. In substance this is an intra-psychic process map that he uses to explain how human beings sometimes respond to hidden forces when deciding how to act. He also includes a very interesting chapter on the dynamics of “Face Work” which are the interpersonal rituals that we use to claim social value for ourselves and assert for, or deny social value to others.

In the third section the author focuses on appropriate process interventions. He explains how, when, and under which circumstances it is appropriate for the helper to intervene using deliberate feedback in a person to person setting. The author goes on to describe the ways that groups arrive at decisions and how to effectively facilitate meetings.

The final section puts some meat on the bones, and applies the concepts from the first three sections to an extended case study. Finally, the author distills the essence of Process Consulting as developed in the previous chapters to ten easy to remember rules.

This book deserves a venerated place in your personal project management library, not only for the practical and illuminating in-depth treatment of the subject matter, but also for it’s concise and accessible style packed with plenty of real-life examples from one of the best in the craft.

David Faith, PMP is a Principal Consultant and Project Manager at Certified Project Management, Inc. specializing in merger and integration projects . Some of his recent client engagements include leading cross functional project teams through fast paced change initiatives at Bank of America, Citigroup, and Wachovia Bank.