Internal consultant

Important differences between internal and external consultant:

How does having a boss and having departmental objectives affect the way internal consultants work and contract with line managers?

• It is often not possible to respond just to the line manager’s own wants and needs. You have procedures that you want the line manager to adopt that may be in conflict with what the manager’s own philosophy and style are.
• Internal consultants may get evaluated on how many managers adopt the staff group’s programs. You are often asked to sell your own department’s approach, and the pressure to do this can be immense.
• …
• The difficulty of being a “prophet in your own land” is overplayed and can be used as a defense, ut there is some truth in it. Because you work for the same organization, line managers can see you as being captured by the same forces and madness that impinge on them. Thus, they may e a little slower to trust you and recognize that you have something special to offer them.

—p130-131, Flawless consulting 제7장 “The Internal Consultant” 중

Try this exercise:

First, list the key wants you have of your boss. Then ask your boss to make a list of the key wants he or she has of you. After you have both complete your lists, exchange lists and then meet together to see whether you can agree on a contract that represents a reasonable balance between what your group or department requires to meet its commitments to the overall organization and what you need to e responsive to the needs and priorities of your clients. —p137, Flawless consulting 제7장 “The Internal Consultant” 중