Appreciative Inquiry and Process Consultation in OD

Stakeholder Participation in Organizational Change

In appreciative inquiry, action research, and process consultation, a high level of participation among the members of the system desiring change is essential. There are a couple of reasons for this. The first is that the consultant is an outsider and, as such, cannot know everything about the organization. Internal stakeholders are critical to understanding the issues and dynamics at work within the organization. The second reason is that all organizational change efforts require a high level of cooperation from internal stakeholders. Ultimately, it is the people within the company who need to implement ideas, and without their buy-in it will be all but impossible to bring about effective organizational change. By involving them through high levels of participation, stakeholders remain aware of what is happening throughout the process, have an opportunity to have their say, and can influence outcomes. When internal stakeholders have played a role in shaping the solution, they are more likely to support the change and will work harder to ensure buy-in throughout the entire organization.

Some of these techniques also require high participation by their very definition. Process consultation and appreciative inquiry in particular are processes where the consultant guides and influences the company, but the change effort is driven by the internal stakeholders. Process consultation simply cannot occur without a high level of participation on the part of internal stakeholders — that is inherent to its definition.

A consultant therefore needs to maximize participation. This can be done in a number of ways. First, the consultant must ensure that internal stakeholders understand the process and their role within it. It is easier for the company to fulfill its role when it understands what that role actually is. The next step is to actively solicit feedback and participation. The reason is straightforward: while this process is underway, people within the company still carry a full workload of regular responsibilities. Any time given to the change process must be carved out of their workdays. The default tendency would be to minimize this time, since performance during the change process is unlikely to be formally measured, and time taken away from regular duties may reduce performance in those areas. The consultant therefore needs to encourage participation — including scheduling it — as a means of ensuring that key stakeholders devote sufficient time to the change effort.