Claremont Graduate University
School of Social Science, Policy and Evaluation
Human Resource Management Program
HRM 348 – Internal Consulting
Spring 2016
Contact Information
Course Instructor:
Office:
Phone:
E-mail:
In-person Office Hours:
Phone Office Hours:
Scott J. Schroeder, Ph.D.
None
(808) 739-4611
scott.schroeder@cgu.edu
by appointment before Friday class sessions
by appointment
Teaching Assistant:
Office:
Phone:
E-mail:
None
Course Schedule:
Semester start and end dates:
Module I – January 19th – March 12th
Meeting days and times:
Fridays
Saturdays
Course location:
February 5th and 19th (7 – 9:50 pm)
February 6th and 20th (9 am – 5:30 pm)
TBD
Course Description
This course focuses on aspects of human resources consulting. For example, the pros and
cons of consulting and how to market and sell consulting services are discussed. The
course will help the students develop consultative and coaching skills that will be
valuable in addressing business needs and issues.
Background Preparation (Prerequisites)
It is very helpful if course participants have completed coursework in organizational
development prior to taking this course.
Course Orientation
This course introduces students to the challenges inherent to being a helper to
organizations and the skills and perspectives needed to take on that role effectively.
Particular attention is paid to the distinctive aspects … perspective, politics, and
resources, for instance … of work as an internal consultant.
This an advanced organizational development course. After you’ve developed an
understanding of how organizations and the people in them work … After you’ve gotten
smart about how to do things differently and make change happen … You need that
added expertise on how you can best help others do things better. And you might be
looking to know how to do this kind of work for a living as an employee of an
organization. This course addresses those issues. In doing so, it’s all about you.
If you studied organizational behavior, it was all about them … the organizations and
those who work in them. When you learned organizational development fundamentals, it
was all about processes and the roadmaps you should follow to address different
opportunities or problems. In both of those cases, you acquired standard approaches that
would raise the odds of being successful as a manager or as an HR professional. In those
courses, a conclusion from motivation research or route to dealing with resistance that
was positioned as useful for you was just as useful for the person sitting next to you in
class.
This class is different. It’s different because after we have down the solid scientific
insights we need, and we’ve filled our toolkits with different ways of using those insights,
things get personal. Consulting is an intensely personal experience. It’s personal for
you, and it’s personal for your client.
And so in this class we move decidedly away from what’s scientific and known and
toward what’s artistic and possible. At its best, this class is full of conversation and that
conversation is about us, individually, as consultants. At its best, the end of the course
will have you feeling much clearer about yourself as a potential internal consultant and
ready to try yourself out in real life. To move in that direction means we want to push
personal exploration and only be prompted by what’s on the syllabus or what’s in the
reading.
Advance Notice Concerning the Nature of this Course
In this course, you’ll get some central ideas from some of the most prominent consultants
of our era … Robert Tannenbaum, Samuel Culbert, and Gifford Pinchot, III to name a
few. In each instance, it’s worth keeping in mind that you’re learning as much about
Bob, Sam, and Gif as you are about successful consulting. And if this course succeeds,
that applies to you too.
As we take on areas like consulting stages and consulting roles, consider each turn of
topic an opportunity to hold a mirror to yourself and consider what you see … at that
stage or in that role, for instance. The more this course is about you … as I hinted above
… the more impactful it will be. The more this course is about organizational
development, the easier it will be to forget.
Course Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, successful students will have demonstrated:
1) An understanding of processes related to developing a consulting practice.
2) An understanding of processes related to initiation, engagement, and completion of a
consulting project.
3) An understanding of one’s own orientation to clients and consulting work.
4) An understanding of the role of HR in the consulting process.
5) Effective communication and oral presentation skills.
SHRM Curriculum Content Areas Addressed in this Course
This course includes the following internal consulting topics:
Assess customers’ needs
Influence cross-departmentally
Identify areas for HR intervention and design intervention
Advise management and colleagues cross-divisionally
Analyze and recommend solutions to business problems
Analyze data and prepare reports to inform business decisions
Recommend changes for process improvement
Conduct periodic audits
Lead special and cross-functional project teams
This course also addresses implications of internal consulting for
Employee Relations
Ethics
HR’s Role in the Organization
Managing a Diverse Workforce
Outcomes: Metrics and Measurement of HR
Performance Management
Strategic HR
Training and Development
Change Management
Organizational Development
Texts and Journal References
Required:
Block, P. (2011). Flawless Consulting. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.
Optional:
None
Additional readings noted in the schedule will be provided through the course page on
Canvas.
Course Requirements and Assignments
The process of the course has been designed to get you smart about yourself as a
consultant and about how you might engage the tasks and relationships involved in
consulting work. Each topic area will be accompanied by a personal assessment task and
a situation to engage. You will compile your work in an electronic portfolio or set of
documents that you will submit at the end of the course for instructor comment. Your
level of success will be determined by the thoroughness with which you complete the set
of tasks.
Weekend
Date
Topic
Reading
Assignment
1
February 5th
You and Consulting
Ch. 1, 2, 3
Personality
Assessment
1
February 6th
Contracting
Ch. 4, 5, 6
Relationship
Assessment
Getting Filled In
Ch. 10, 13, 14
Fear
Assessment
2
February 19th
Why I Was Fired
Ch. 8, 9
Failure
Assessment
2
February 20th
Making Things Happen
Ch. 15, 16, 17
Power
Assessment
Parting Ways
Ch. 19
Success
Assessment
Evaluation of Student Learning and Performance
Grading will be based on the following distribution of assignments (noting that
assignments may be modified to fit the class size):
Class Element
Points
Weight
Quizzes
20
20%
Contribution to case discussions
20
20%
Assessment Portfolio
60
60%
The instructor will make every effort to return each assignment to you with feedback
within 7 days for assignments submitted by e-mail and at the subsequent class session for
assignments submitted in class.
Grading
Your grade will be calculated using the following scale. Grades with plus or minus
designations are at the professor’s discretion.
Letter Grade Grade Point
Description
Learning Outcome
A
4.0
Complete mastery of
course material and
additional insight beyond
course material
Insightful
B
3.0
Complete mastery of
course material
Proficient
C
2.0
Gaps in mastery of course
material; not at level
expected by the program
Developing
U
0
Unsatisfactory
Ineffective
Course Policies:
Attendance
Students are expected to attend all classes. Students who are unable to attend class must
seek permission for an excused absence from the course director or teaching assistant.
Unapproved absences or late attendance for three or more classes may result in a lower
grade or an “incomplete” for the course. If a student has to miss a class, he or she should
arrange to get notes from a fellow student and is strongly encouraged to meet with the
teaching assistant to obtain the missed material. Missed quizzes will not be available for
re-taking.
Scientific and Professional Ethics
The work you do in this course must be your own. Feel free to build on, react to, criticize,
and analyze the ideas of others but, when you do, make it known whose ideas you are
working with. You must explicitly acknowledge when your work builds on someone
else's ideas, including ideas of classmates, professors, and authors you read. If you ever
have questions about drawing the line between others' work and your own, ask the course
professor who will give you guidance. Exams must be completed independently. Any
collaboration on answers to exams, unless expressly permitted, may result in an
automatic failing grade and possible expulsion from the Program.
Instructor Feedback and Communication
The best way to get in touch with the instructor is by e-mail on the course page on
Canvas. I will respond to e-mail within two business days. Appointments may be made
to talk by phone as well. Note that I check CGU e-mail each weekday during the term.
Expectations and Logistics
The schedule of course topics provides an intended map for the subject areas we will be
discussing during particular class sessions. The actual timing may vary depending on the
needs and interests of the class group.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
CGU is committed to offering auxiliary aids and services to students with verifiable
disabilities in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II
of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. To ensure that their individual needs are
addressed, students with special needs are encouraged to contact the Dean of Students
Office as early as possible. Additional resources can be found on the linked page
(http://www.cgu.edu/pages/1154.asp).
Schedule of Class Sessions
Evening of February 5th – You and Consulting
In this class session, we will talk about the business of consulting and the steps and issues
in making a profession out of consulting work. Particular attention will be given to the
roles of internal and external consultant. We will also set ourselves up for a successful
class by discussing your areas of interest and providing a brief review of core
organizational behavior and organizational development principles that are a foundation
for effective consulting.
Reading:
Activity:
Chapters 1, 2, 3
“Who is the Intrapreneur?”
Pinchot
Personality Test and Personal Inclination Assessment
Morning of February 6th – Contracting and the Start of a Relationship
As a consultant, you’re an invited guest in someone else’s home. If you’re an internal
consultant, you may have a sense of belonging and the idea that it’s your home too. If
you’re an external consultant, you’re a paid guest who’s probably a stranger too. When
you show up as a consultant, at a minimum, you’re promising to wander around the
house, open up some drawers, look through a few closets, and even watch folks getting
dressed, metaphorically. And there’s a good chance that after a bit you’ll be asking them
to rearrange the furniture or even change their lifestyle. So that your consulting efforts
have the best chance of success, relationship building and making agreements about your
stay are critical, and they will be the focus of this class session.
Reading:
Chapters 4, 5, 6
Video Case:
Wife Swap
Practice Case:
New Hope Hospital
Activity:
Quiz
Relationship Assessment
Afternoon of February 6th – Assessment and Learning What They Already Know
Effective consulting is always a consequence of effective, trusting relationships. And as
Sam Culbert notes, they will trust you when they feel that you understand them and
support them. Being able to demonstrate that understanding and support is one reason
why you need to take time to learn about them in every consulting project, even when, as
an internal consultant, you may feel like you know a lot about them already. The other
reason for learning, of course, is so that you can help them with issues they haven’t been
able to tackle successfully themselves. This class session will focus on having the kind
of conversations that will leave you filled in, trusted, and positioned to talk about your
client’s experience, assess their needs and determine the route forward.
Reading:
Chapters 10, 13, 14
“Putting to Rest the Fears of Anarchy”
Video Case:
Carl Rogers and Albert Ellis
Practice Case:
Talking with Herb, Terence, and Michael
Activity:
Quiz
Fear Assessment
Pinchot
Evening of February 19th – Why I Was Fired and Other Early Endings
Maybe your client has started not returning your phone calls. Perhaps your client is
nodding “yes” at your meetings, but there’s no follow through. And possibly they just
told you that they’re ending the project you’re working with them on. As we pass the
mid-point of the course and move from initial work in a consulting engagement to
fostering movement and getting results, it’s good to take a look at consulting work that
terminates early and what makes that happen. In this class session we will consider
“failed missions” and the ways that you and your client can contribute to a consulting
project ending early. Particular attention will be paid to client red flags, ill-conceived
advise giving, and relationships gone wrong.
Reading:
Chapters 8, 9
“The Freedom Factors”
Video Case:
Trading Spaces
Activity:
Quiz
Failure Assessment
Pinchot
Morning of February 20th – Making Things Happen as an Internal Consultant
Often, developing insight isn’t at the heart of a consulting project. In fact, you’re best off
if you come out of your assessment reaching the same conclusions that your client has.
And if they aren’t motivated to do things differently when you show up, that’s not a good
sign. Your best cheerleading or most fervent warnings are most likely not going to create
the sustained energy needed for real movement. The actual challenge in most internal
consulting work is cultivating lasting change. In this class session we’ll distinguish
between the two kinds of change efforts … what Tannenbaum calls instrumental and
orientational change … and chart what you can do to help your client make each of these
really take place and how you make the most of your leverage points as an internal
consultant to have sustained, effective influence across segments of your organization.
Reading:
Chapters 15, 16, 17
“Planning Your Intraprise”
“Identifying Sponsors”
Video Case:
P90X-3
Practice Case:
New West College
Activity:
Quiz
Power Assessment
Pinchot
Pinchot
Afternoon of February 20th - Parting Ways while Staying Down the Hall
Taking stock is important for sustaining the outcomes of a consulting project and making
adjustments where needed. In fact, motivation theory tells us that “knowledge of results”
is one of the keys to keeping people energized in their work. So as we conclude our
course, we will examine the elements of a solid client debrief and consulting engagement
ending. We will also look at avenues for continuing your relationship with the client,
such as through audits and outcomes evaluation. We will also use this class session to
highlight our own key learnings and identify the issues that we would like to talk about
before our own class ends.
Reading:
Chapter 19
Practice Case:
Camelback Church
Activity:
Quiz
Success Assessment
Additional Resources
If you pursue work in consulting, you may want to connect with the OD Network, a
national organization for practitioners and scholars involved in organization
development. You can find them nationally at www.odnetwork.org. They provide a
variety of resources for professionals in the field, including local conferences and the
opportunity to connect with other professionals in the field, a critical task for folks in this
line of work.
The following may also be of help to you in starting and developing a consulting practice.
Bridges, W. and S. Bridges. (2009). Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change.
Boston: Da Capo Lifelong Books.
Cloke, K. and J. Goldsmith. (2003). The Art of Waking People Up. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
Culbert, S.A. (1996). Mind-Set Management. London: Oxford University Press.
Culbert, S.A. (2008). Beyond Bullsh*t: Straight-Talk at Work. Palo Alto: Stanford
Business Books.
Pinchot III, G. (1985). Intrapreneuring: Why You Don’t Have to Leave the Corporation
to be an Entrepreneur. New York: Harpercollins.
Silberman, M. (2000). The Consultant’s Tool Kit. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Weiss, A. (2009). Getting Started in Consulting. New York: Wiley.
Instructor Background Information
Scott Schroeder, Ph.D. is Dean of the School of Business and Communication and
Professor of Management at Chaminade University of Honolulu. Scott’s career has been
lived as a management activist, dedicated to putting into practice management systems
and approaches that bring out employees’ best work and eradicate employee abuse and
exploitation in organizations.
He has done extensive clinical work in executive psychotherapy and coaching, and
consults on issues of executive development and team effectiveness. His clients have
included individuals and organizations from industries including entertainment,
professional sports, health care, advertising, education, government services, the U.S.
military, high tech, community service, environmental protection, and faith communities.
His research focuses of individuals’ personal power and social influence at work, with
special interest in getting people the power they need to have personal and professional
success in their careers. He is currently writing an article with OD legend Samuel
Culbert on what most managers don’t understand about empowerment.
Scott has held administrative, research, or faculty positions at several universities,
including Arizona State, UCLA, and Antioch, where he was responsible for developing a
graduate program in organization development which was consistently ranked among the
top ten programs nationally by The OD Practitioner during his tenure as chair. Prior to
returning to Chaminade in 2010, Scott was most recently Dean of Academic Affairs at
the Bainbridge Graduate Institute, Net Impact’s top-ranked business school in the U.S.
for developing socially responsible leaders, and one of Business Week’s top-ranked
innovation schools in the world.
He has taught courses on organizational behavior, organization theory, organization
development, and crisis management in the HRD and HRM programs at CGU since
1996.
Scott completed doctoral specializations in management and psychology at UCLA and
post-doctoral work at Harvard University as a fellow in the MLE Institute.