The Flawless Consulting Fieldbook & Companion, 2nd Edition

Chapter 10A Cautionary Tale: Trying on Yesterday’s Methodologies

Jill Janov

Jill Janov has a genius for working with the collective. Her eyes are always on the learning community, the system. Her fundamental question is “What will help people stay connected to each other?” She also expresses great faith in our capacity to see our own possibilities and know our own solutions. In this article, she offers a whole series of questions that, when answered collectively, both creates community and moves people to a desired future.

In a prior edition of this Fieldbook, I wrote a chapter on a discovery process that engages those in the organization in doing the work of discovery. I also noted the three phases of an intervention: discovery, design, and deployment (which includes evaluation). Using that discovery process in today’s world has pluses and minuses. As with any intervention, it begs the question of fit, relevance, and timeliness. Does this method fit with how the organization operates? Are time and resources available for this intervention? Is it relevant—what is gained and/or lost? All three need to be considered.

The plus side for this discovery process is that a system learns how to gather information on itself—the current “what is”—so that it can design, deploy, and evaluate an intervention that creates “what can be.” Engaging the system in discovery and design makes for more buy-in, and any resistance to deployment can be defused before deployment occurs. This work is ...