Organizations engage consultants to assist them in arriving at objective solutions to their sporadic problems which are non repetitive in nature. Consultants have the advantage of being outsiders and hence disinterested in the outcome of their involvement. Consultants follow certain formal methodologies which have the power of rigor, are time-tested, can foresee problems before they occur and hence have the power to preempt undesirable/unintended outcomes. One such method, holistic approach to problem solving, is discussed.
In the holistic approach, the intervention starts in a participatory mode. It is recognized that in an external intervention scenario with long term strategic implications—for instance during the vision and objective setting phase, strategy formulation phase, solution design and their feedback phase— close participation of the client and all stakeholders is essential. This will substantially contribute to the quality of the output, acceptance of recommendations and faster implementation. This approach will ensure ownership of the output, which will enhance the level of participation, and ensure active involvement of stakeholders during the implementation. It will also reduce the rework considerably and revisit to the course of action formulated, and address queries raised (if any), by the participants during the implementation. Active stakeholder participation during the initial phases of the intervention contributes to success and speed of implementation, high level of utilization and reduced need for post implementation support.
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