PSY 8730 Consultation Psychology Case Study

Part 1: Case Study Stages of Consulting

INTRODUCTION

To practice the steps of a consultation project, you will apply some of the course models and principles to the case study you created in the Unit 3 discussion.

ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS

This assignment is the first component of your course project. Using the case study you developed in Unit 3, complete the following:

1. Provide a clear description of the case study from Unit 3.
2. Compare and contrast the problem versus the strength-based approaches for the discovery phase of consultation with your case. Be sure to cite peer-reviewed journal articles on each of the two approaches.
3. Conduct an in-depth analysis of each model. For example, include your critique of the strengths and limitations of each model.
4. Provide a synthesis or a set of guidelines you would use for the discovery phase of this consultation. The guidelines should have the best elements from each model.
5. List five or more consulting competencies needed for this consultation. For each competency, make an in-depth analysis of its importance and include scholarly literature that informs your analysis.
6. Discuss the strengths and potential challenges you may have as you prepare to move forward with this consultation.
7. Include a summary of your paper that covers all of the key topics you have discussed in the previous pages.

HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR PAPER

Organize your paper in the following format:

• Subheading 1 – Case Study: Description of the case study or background.

Case study: A leadership problem has developed at ABC Bank. Jerry, the sales director of the mortgage division, was just fired for engaging in poor ethical behavior and for losing the confidence of his staff. As a result, there are negative rumors circulating around the bank. Human resources director Pam thinks Jerry’s situation is the perfect example of why ABC Bank needs to implement a leadership development program. There has been very little, if any, ethical leadership development or training at the bank.Bob, the CEO, told Pam to develop a framework for critical values, knowledge, and skills necessary for the kind of leadership the bank would like managers to practice—ethical, skilled, and proactive leadership. Pam presented her framework to the executive team, and they voiced mixed opinions about investing in such a leadership development program. However, the program has been approved, and you have been selected as the consultant who will implement this project. Pam is hopeful that you can help prevent other leadership problems from developing through executive coaching and team leadership development work with executive management team.

You are considering a plan to include a series of training, team development sessions, and individual coaching sessions over the course of a year. ABC Bank has agreed that Bob, the CEO, will work closely with you and attend all team trainings and meetings. You are would like to conduct quarterly evaluations of progress.As you report to ABC Bank, Bob greets you in the lobby and asks that you sit in on the executive team meeting right away. He wants you to hear their discussion of what they see as the most critical issues today and to observe their teamwork.Bob opens the meeting by explaining that he wants the team to start thinking more strategically about the company’s processes for developing leaders. He explains that is important to get out of the reactionary mode and start thinking about development, and asks the team to consider best practices in leadership development.Right away, you notice that the most vocal member is Paul, manager of the senior lending division, who answers almost every question based on “this is how we have always done it.”Paul says, “I will be honest, I do not believe leadership development is an important focus—all of our management members are experienced leaders who know how to give directives and get the job done.” He is much more concerned about the new regulations, which will require more documentation and paperwork with the same amount of resources that were already overtaxed.

It is not realistic to require this level of documentation with the current staff./Bertha, manager of compliance, is responsible for ensuring the bank’s practices match organizational, state, and federal practices and laws. She speaks up after Paul’s point about regulations. She says, “We have a plan for how this can be accomplished, but it will take the involvement of this entire team and I will need your direct staff to work with me more closely.” Paul jokes that Bertha is being “pushy.” Laughter follows Bertha’s comment, but Bertha is not laughing.Ken, manager of the investments department, states that he believes some leadership training would be helpful. After all, Jerry got into trouble because he did not have the respect of his employees and he tried to gloss over some spending that occurred rather than account for dollars spent accurately. Had he put everything through Bertha’s compliance department, the problem would have been caught. However, it appears that the compliance department is not being used in a way that helps mitigate risk at the bank. Perhaps, if Jerry had had some leadership training, this disaster would not have occurred.Paul says that training is not a bad thing, but there is no time. Spending time in this meeting right now is preventing them all from actually getting work done.Team members agreed on only one thing; they are all under a lot of pressure that requires some strategic thinking.

The new federal regulations requiring greater documentation and tracking of processes and procedures will likely take many hours of time and if they are not going to be able to hire more staff, they need a strategy to get this done. Matthew, manager of technology, agreed that they spend a lot of time in meetings with too many items on the agenda; thus few decisions are made.After the meeting, Bob and Pam ask your opinion about how the team functions and what strategy you have in mind for individual coaching, as well as for team development work. Bob emphasizes his hope that dialogue about leadership development and some training occur quickly so that the company can be more proactive in developing leaders.As you walk out of the conference room, you glance up at the framed notice: ABC Bank, a place for teamwork, respect, dedication, and valuing diversity.

• Subheading 2 – Discovery Approaches: Compare and contrast the problem-based versus strengths-based approaches or models for the discovery phase of consultation with your case. Be sure to cite peer-reviewed journal articles on each of the two approaches. Provide enough details that give an in-depth analysis of each model. Include in your critique both the strengths and limitations of each model. You may choose to incorporate some of the resources and ideas from your Unit 4 discussion post, Stages of Consulting – Discovery, which focus on approaches to discovery in this section.
• Subheading 3 – Guidelines for Discovery: Develop a set of at least three guidelines based on your work in the previous section that include the best elements of each of the two discovery approaches you described. These guidelines should identify and describe critical actions and mindsets important for consultants to consider in the discovery phase.
• Subheading 4 – Consulting Competencies: Provide a list of five or more consulting competencies needed for this consultation. For each competency listed, do an in-depth analysis of its importance and include scholarly literature for each competency that informs your analysis. Conclude this section with a discussion of the strengths and potential challenges you may have as you prepare to move forward with this consultation.
• Subheading 5 – Conclusion: Provide a brief summary of your paper. This summary should serve as a recap of the paper and should not include any new material that has not been previously covered.
• References: Provide your list of sources used in the paper using current edition APA style for correct documentation.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Your assignment should meet the following requirements:

• Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current edition APA style and formatting.
• Number of resources: A minimum of six peer-reviewed journal articles or other scholarly articles.
• Length of paper: A minimum of 1500 words or about 5–7 double-spaced pages.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.