Oldal 46 [46]
HEIDI MOLLER — KATRIN OELLERICH — DENISE HINN — SILJA KOTTE
Consulting has to fulfil many functions though its main purpose is to
provide a compensatory effort. Lammers* describes the compensatory function
of consulting as follows:
+ Where chaos exists, consulting is to restore order
+ Where there is a lack of care, consulting is to be sympathetic
¢« Where overwork exists, consulting is to bring relief
+ Where there is confusion, consulting is to provide solutions
When we approach the task profile of consulting, there is a great deal
of responsibility resting on the consultants’ shoulders. The fact that the
professional standards and methodological safeguarding of much of what we
in consulting deal with still leaves much to be desired certainly does not make
our task lighter. The call for consulting research (a cry for salvation?) is growing
louder, from professional associations as well as from consultants themselves.
But what kind of research are they calling for exactly?
THE NARCISSISM OF THE SMALL DIFFERENCE
When we look back upon the development during the last few years, the main
topic of publications coming from the consulting field was the delimitation
of single formats. It seemed important as well as necessary to describe: “This
form of consulting is supervision and not coaching, coaching is exactly this,
and this is distinguished from mediation in the following aspects, etc.” Much
energy has been expended in differentiating consulting formats. Now this
tendency seems to have come to an end. The scientific community is now
refocusing on similarities between consulting formats and this is leading to
more holistic consulting research. From a customer’s point of view, the experts’
lack of agreement regarding delimitations was entirely superfluous. The name
of the product the customers are buying was and is quite irrelevant to them
so long as the consulting approach solves their most urgent problems. The
motivation for establishing future research within the consulting divisions of
organisations continues to fade away when one considers that consulting will be
bought either way. Nissen® estimates the sums within the area of organisational
coaching at a turnover of around 12.3 billion Euro. It does not seem to be of
importance to the organisation whether or not the consulting approach in
question is scientifically based. One reason for this, as described most vividly by
4 W. Lammers, Beratung zwischen Geld und Geist, Supervision, 4 (2008) 32-35.
5 V. Nissen, Consulting Research, Wiesbaden, DUV, 2007.
+ A4 +