Participative Methods 6: Non-Directive Consultancy
Non-directive consultancy differs from the other participative methods because it is an arrangement between a consultant and a consultor, usually one person. It is not usually an activity for a group, although it is possible for the consultant to work with a few people from the same organisation. See my previous posts about consultancy for resources about this method.
Usually organisations pay consultants to do research, planning and / or design because they lack capacity to do the work. The consultant is the person who does the work because the consultant is the expert.
Space shuttle Atlantis a booster analogy that probably breaks down if you push it too far!
With non-directive consultancy the consultor is the expert and does the work. The consultant boosts the consultor’s brain power. The consultor knows the situation better than any consultant and so the consultant’s role is to help the consultor think things through. This approach is sometimes called coaching.
The task might be analysis, design or problem solving. The consultant might have specialist knowledge, although this is not essential. So, I use non-directive consultancy as an approach to website design in a community development context. Whilst I may know more about web design, the consultor knows more about the purpose of their organisation and their website. The consultor is often unaware of how much they do know and the consultant’s task is to help them access and apply their knowledge. Where I can use my specialist knowledge of website design and community development it is always to help the consultor as they work on their own task.
The project is always in the hands of the consultor and the role of the non-directive consultant is to provide the consultor with approaches to problem solving they need to complete their task.
Four Issue Types for Non-Directive Consultancy
George Lovell developed non-directive consultancy in the context of church and community work. He identified four types of issue workers might encounter, based upon community workers’ experience.
- Situations, where usually a new worker needs help to understand their new neighbourhood and plan their work.
- Projects, where the worker has an idea and needs to design a project to implement the idea.
- Problems, where the worker encounters external issues that throw their work off course. Many of these problems are generic, in the sense other practitioners experience them too. For example, recruiting and retaining members.
- Cases, where the problems are internal and usually amount to break-downs in relationships. These can be difficult because the consultor will often know or suspect that they are personally responsible for the break-down.
More information about these can be found in my series of posts about non-directive consultancy. It may seem obvious these can all be used to mentor new workers. In practice, all workers benefit from non-directive consultancy support and many experienced workers continue with this type of support. Similarly, development workers can use these approaches with activists in their neighbourhoods.
Have you had experience of working with or as a consultant in community development? Why do you think your consultancy worked or failed? Leave a comment to let me know what you think!