Organizational Consultation
(Date Still Pending)
Sacramento, California

This five day course will satisfy PSP courses:
PSY 822 "Measurement and Assessment: Organizations"
PSY 827 "Interventions: Organizations"
Note to PSP students: PSY 813 is recommended to be taken before the Organizational Consultation

Primary Facilitator: William Bergquist and Fred Massarik
Costs: $1,000 (plus room and board, estimated at $100 per day, and transportation)
Maximum Number of Participants: 22

This conference focuses on a topic that was particularly important for Kurt Lewin: the complex processes of consultation (whether this consultation is focused on specific technical issues or on broad-based organizational dynamics). This conference is intended for anyone seeking to establish an independent consulting service, join an existing consulting firm, or serve as an internal consultant within a corporation, human service agency or educational institution.

Participants will be introduced to four models of consultation and discover their own preferred model as well as identifying the model(s) which are most appropriate for their own specific mode of consultation. A ten-step consultation process will be described and participants will engage in an ongoing interactive case study that demonstrates the use of each step in the consultative process. Participants will learn about the difference between “front-loaded” and “back-loaded” consultations and about the differences between consultative processes that focus on structure, process and attitude.

During this Conference, participants will also learn about the “business” of consultation: the process of contracting for consultative services, setting fees, marketing consultation services, and ways in which to most effectively use the certification they will receive in this program. This Conference introduces the consulting practitioner to the newly emerging perspectives and strategies of appreciative inquiry and appreciative design. Participants in this program will not only be trained in the modes of appreciative inquiry (AI), they will also gain a working knowledge of organizational designs and human resource strategies that are appreciative, and at the cutting-edge of the field. Participants will be introduced to more than a dozen strategies and designs, including human resource banks, appreciative benchmarking, organizational chartering, appreciative 360 feedback, and intentional analysis.

Participants will be provided with a book on appreciative organizational design and with a 400-page resource book that includes a substantial body of consultative tools and processes. During a six-month follow up program, participants will have an opportunity to make use of the principles and tools introduced in this program, and will receive the support of two other members of a home trio, as well as receiving shadow consultative assistance from the staff of the Center for Organizational Studies at the Professional School of Psychology.

The Books

Creating the Appreciative Organization, William Bergquist Where does one begin a venture into a new land of appreciation and Twenty First Century organizational dynamics? More specifically, how does an organization fully release its human capital? How are members of an organization given a setting in which they can engage their inherent appreciative talents? A culture of appreciation is created primarily through attitude-based strategies, while appreciative management is a product of successful appreciative processes. Yet, we must not rely on either changes that are made in process nor changes in attitude—if they are not complimented by changes in organizational structure. The author of this book has identified six structural strategies of appreciation that can help an organization create and sustain a culture of appreciation, as well as create and nourish appreciative leadership: assessment, benchmarking, chartering, development, empowerment and feedback. Each of these strategies is fully described and tools are introduced to assist in the successful implementation of each strategy.

The Consulting Process: A Resource Book, William Bergquist This 400+ page volume includes helpful, practical tools and resources for consulting to organizations. Specific resources (instruments, exercises, handouts) are provided, along with conceptual models that can help a consultant identify her own assumptions about organizational change, underlying strategies for organizational improvement, and ways in which any organization development initiative can be made more appreciative and constructive.

Organization Development: Perspectives And Foundations, Fred Massarik and Marissa Pei-Carpenter. This book was written for organization development (OD) professionals, for academics, and for others seeking an overview of the OD field. This comprehensive resource shows you where OD is today and offers reflections on the future of OD. This research-based book reestablishes the connection between theory, research, and practice and affirms core OD values. The authors emphasize the "personhood" of the consultant and client, the relevance of "feel" and intuition combined with fact and technique, and the importance of real people doing real things in real time. In addition to these core ideas, the authors outline new viewpoints that are especially relevant in today's rapidly changing world. They explain that quick-fix linear approaches are not likely to bring substantial lasting results and OD must be rooted in the vast knowledge available about the human condition—recognizing the complexity of real life. They also show how value is the essential cornerstone of organization development.

Books are included in the $1000.00 fee. PSP students attending the seminar for course credit are required to pay for texts.

To register or request a brochure, e-mail psychology@surewest.net
or telephone us at (916) 641-6542