Organizational Consulting: How to Be an Effective Internal Change Agent: Alan Weiss

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Editorial Reviews

The expert guide to effective internal consulting
This book guides internal consultants through the steps necessary to bolster their credibility, build relationships within the organization, develop internal marketing abilities, and apply proper methodologies to their work. Alan Weiss, an experienced consultant, provides practical techniques the internal consultant, internal human resources practitioner, and any other internal change agent can use to excel at work, advance their careers, and become valued assets to their organizations. Some of the major subjects covered include setting up the proper environment for success and establishing peer-level interactions.
Alan Weiss, PhD (East Greenwich, CT), has consulted with hundreds of organizations around the world, including Mercedes-Benz, Hewlett-Packard, Merck, and Chase. He lectures widely and appears regularly on radio and television to discuss productivity and performance. He is the author of twelve books, including Getting Started in Consulting (Wiley: 0-471-38455-0), The Ultimate Consultant (Jossey-Bass: 0-7879-5508-6), How to Acquire Clients (Jossey-Bass: 0-7879-5514-0), and Process Consulting (Jossey-Bass: 0-7879-5512-4).

From the Inside Flap
As a consultant, your job is to provide expertise in the form of knowledge, experience, processes, models, technologies, or other assets. Both external and internal consultants perform these same duties. However, there is one major difference between external and internal consultants–the question of credibility.

When companies hire outside consultants, people within the organization tend to listen. They assume external consultants must be credible because they charge high fees or because they’ve consulted with other companies. Meanwhile, internal consultants–human resources personnel or other internal change agents–must overcome the unfair perception that they are biased.

Consulting is a relationship business. In order to perform to the best of your abilities, you must develop trusting relationships with internal partners and clients, especially those figures who make final decisions based on your advice. But developing that trust is no easy trick. If you’re an internal consultant, you know that before you can even begin to do your job you must overcome any perception that you may lack credibility.

However, there are also advantages to being an internal consultant, such as your familiarity with the organization’s structure, culture, and unique needs and problems. Organizational Consulting shows you how to use the advantages of being inside the organization to better perform your duties while also improving your credibility. A consultant with twenty-five years of experience working with Fortune 1000 companies, Alan Weiss offers pragmatic solutions and methodologies for changing your organization for the better while you advance your career and solidify your position as an integral asset to your company.

The role of the internal consultant is to anticipate, improve, and innovate–and you have to do it all from a delicate position. Organizational Consulting shows you how, by giving you the tools you need to:

• Build trusting relationships with management
• Establish the proper environment for success
• Utilize state-of-the-art interventions
• Develop the skills and attitude you need
• Achieve conceptual agreement
• Formulate workable proposals
• Leverage your success for the future
• Defuse tensions and work within ethical guidelines

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