How We Work: A Collaborative Process

Collaborate

…The purpose of consulting technique is to create a learning climate, not solutions.
This is a subtle and important distinction. -- Marvin R. Weisbord

Every project is the same.

No matter what the nature of the project is or the desired outcome or the size or type of organization, all OD180 projects share certain traits in common. First and foremost, we work collaboratively with the client. The success of every venture depends upon this partnership of effort between client and consultant. Secondly, every project is designed (as Stephen Covey would say) “with the end in mind.” The desired outcome sets the course, not some prepackaged service description. Finally, there are no surprises with respect to timeframe or costs. You know at the beginning what investment of time and money needs to be made.
 

Every project is different.

Since no organization is altogether the same as any other, neither are any two OD180 projects the same. While a standard repertoire of specific methods are typically used, nonetheless every project has a particular shape of its own. For instance, a board training conference for a start-up will have a different emphasis than one designed for a long-established institution. Similarly, the way research is done for a new donor relations program at a national advocacy organization will be different from that done for a local religious community. The underlying principle (again, as Covey would say) is “to seek first to understand.”

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