Tuesday, March 19, 2013

3.0 Consultant???

What I believe makes a 3.0 Consultant different from other types of consultants evolves around the concepts: interactive, flexible and cohesion.

To picture the context in which a 3.0 Consultant is of most value:
  • A solution is desirable / is a necessity
  • All the known has been tried or rejected
    • too expensive, too time consuming, doesn't feel good, too uncertain, too little support
  • Multiple disciplines/silos/stakeholders are involved
In short, standard solutions are as usefull as a hammer to drive in a screw. A big hammer, a small screw-thread and plenty of force will probably work. However, this is not the 3.0 Consultant way.

Interactive

It is an illusion to assume that not-standard solutions can be designed by experts. A good solution is for not-standard issues lies just outside the view area of the stakeholders. Too far way and it costs too much time, energy and persuation. Too close and the solution is 'tainted' and 'not novell' enough to be embraced enthusiastically.
What is just outside the view area, that can only be established with and by the stakeholders.

It is easy to understand that such an interactive exploration has its own dynamics. And this brings up the next concept: a 3.0 Consultant is flexible.

Flexible

If it is clear that either way a solution is required, it is important not to create additional obstacles. A very nice one is the 'role'.
Sometimes to get things going, introducing a recognizable role is very helpful. The expectations and experience of the stakeholders generates directly a good context to get things back on track.
However, this is not alwyas the case. Especially when some personal suffering happend in the passed, or that the role is 'tainted'.
And, to honest, if for instance you're helped by an hour of intensive plowing through, you're don't need somebody around your for weeks/months to come. And vice versa. Nothing is too little, nothing is sacred. A flexible attitude is standard, confrontation is optional.
A 3.0 Consultant takes the role that is required for that situation, when and where needed. His job is all about creating the right cohesion.

Cohesion

The current situation is the result of how all sorts of agents -- people, ideas, assumptions, situations, resources -- interact with oneother. As long as the relation between all these agents remains the same, nothing is going to change.
When faced with a good challenge, one thing must happen: the cohesion between the actors must change.
It is important to strengthen the usefull connections, to weaken or even break obstructing connections, to add new connections. Creating and applying leverages, reducing obstacles.

Summarizing

A 3.0 Consultant searches for and explores interactively, so litteraly together, solution just outside the view area. In his dealings a 3.0 Consultant is flexible. It is all about finding a good solution for the stakeholders. A good solution changes in a clever way the cohesion between agents.

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