A colleague recently asked me to describe my “consulting style.” I interpreted their question as wanting to learn more about how I see and enact my role in helping school systems become more effective. My response: “It depends.” While that answer was likely a bit dissatisfying at first, it did lead to a fruitful and nuanced conversation about the role of a consultant.
If you’ve worked with consultants – such as a mentor, instructional coach, or professional development provider – you’ve likely noticed that no experience is exactly the same. Often, we attribute that variation to each consultant’s unique blend of personality, experience, and expertise—in other words, an individual consulting style that remains relatively consistent over time and in different contexts.
In reality, consultants typically play multiple types of roles, and the roles vary according to what’s needed in a given situation. For example, if a school wants to learn more about evidence-based math instruction, a consultant might facilitate a professional development session. When a leadership or grade level team then wants to decide how to apply what they’ve learned in practice, that consultant’s role might shift from teaching new content to facilitating and asking good questions to help the group make decisions.
At a high level, the roles consultants play range on a continuum from that of Subject Matter Expert to Process Facilitator. Figure 1, which is inspired by the seminal work of organization development giants Gordon and Ronald Lippitt (1994) and Edgar Schein (1999), illustrates that continuum. There are many possible roles along the continuum, but we find it helpful to define five key examples.
- Content Specialist: Provides specialized subject matter expertise to advise on methods and solutions
- Trainer/Educator: Creates learning experiences and provides direct teaching
- Joint Problem Solver: Collaborates with clients in all processes of problem solving; works with clients to design and implement system change
- Resource Linker: Gathers information and resources to help clients assess options and consequences
- Process Specialist: Facilitates improvement processes; objectively observes, raises issues and questions, and provides feedback
Figure 1. Range of Consultant Roles.
Consultants continually assess what might be most helpful to a client in a given moment, which requires them to master and move among different roles with fluidity. Choosing the most effective role results from a combination of advance planning and real-time responsiveness. When planning, a consultant thinks through the upcoming engagement, anticipates the types of roles they are likely to play for each portion of the agenda, and discusses options with the client and any other collaborators. During the engagement, consultants use what they glean from feedback and their own observations about how the system is responding to make adjustments as needed.
Because every decision and action we make as consultants influences what happens in the client system, we must be very intentional about our Use of Self as an instrument, or tool, to help a school move toward its goals. While we typically have default preferences for and experience with some roles more than others, ultimately consultants must master the full range of roles to be most effective.
The decisions we make about what role to play must be intentional and attuned to the needs of the client in the moment. The Exploring Consultant Roles tool can help you identify the roles you prefer to take and to think about how to recognize when other roles would be helpful for your clients.
References
Lippitt, G. L., & Lippitt, R. (1994). The consulting process in action (2nd ed.). Pfeiffer.
Schein, E.H. (1999). Process consultation revisited: Building the helping relationship. Addison-Welsley.
