Practicing Organization Development: A Guide for Leading Change: A Third Edition

FOSTERING INDEPENDENCE

A part of the value system and folklore of OD is that effective consultants work themselves out of jobs. It is important for OD consultants to transfer their skills to clients and to identify resources in client organizations to carry on change efforts. When independence is fostered, closure comes more easily for all involved. At the same time, consultants must avoid becoming dependent on their clients as a means to meet their needs for work, money, or affiliation, because these needs can lead to unnecessary change efforts and wasted resources. Consultants should respond to actual needs in client organizations rather than to their own needs. Given the growing need for internal OD consultants with numerous change initiatives, ...