3.5Further refinement of the role concept

Reducing the various consulting processes to two basic roles or modes is a simplification that is conceptually useful, but that disregards a number of situational variables. For practical purposes it is instructive to visualize a greater number of consultative roles along a directive and non-directive continuum, as suggested by Gordon and Ronald Lippitt and illustrated in figure 3.1. By directive we mean behaviours where the consultant assumes a position of leadership, initiates activity or tells the client what to do. In the non-directive role he or she provides information for the client to use or not. Here again the situational roles are not mutually exclusive and can manifest themselves in many ways in a particular consultant–client relationship. The consultant may find it useful to play two or more compatible roles simultaneously or consecutively, switching from role to role as the relationship evolves. These roles are “spheres of influence” rather than a static continuum of isolated behaviour. Let us examine the different role choices in response to a client’s needs.

Advocate

In an advocate role, the consultant endeavours to influence the client. There are two quite different types of advocacy:

●positional or “contact” advocacy tries to influence the client to choose particular goods or solutions or to accept particular values;

●methodological advocacy tries to influence the client to become active as problem-solver, and to use certain methods of problem-solving, but is careful not to promote any particular solution (which would be positional advocacy).

In this role, the behaviour of the consultant is derived from a “believer” or “valuer” stance on content or a methodological matter.