Glide follows the following approach to consulting engagements;

Phase 1: Entry, Engagement, Expectations

The initial phase includes setting up the first meeting as well as exploring the problem, whether Glide Consulting is the right organisation to work on this issue, what your expectations are, what Glide’s expectations are and how to get started.

Phase 2: Discovery

The Discovery phase is about getting a sense of both the problem and your strengths. The questions we ask here are: Who is going to be involved in defining the problem or situation? What methods will be used? What kind of data should be collected – information flow, technology design, people’s attitudes, financial data, or the organisational culture itself? We treat each interaction as a learning event.

The purpose of discovery is to get some action, not to do research for its own sake.   This means the data needs to be reduced to a manageable number of items. Each of the final items selected for feedback will be actionable.

Phase 3: Analysis and the Decision to Act

Part of the process is to reduce large amounts of data to a manageable number of issues – from divergence to convergence. The initial problem statement in a consulting project is usually a symptom of other underlying problems and it’s our job to clarify what these problem layers are.

presentingproblem

The way the problem is being managed is a key part of the engagement, even if personalities, politics, or relationships are not easy topics to discuss. It is a mistake to avoid these areas. The way the problem is managed has a powerful effect on the way our expertise will be used. Technical and business problems almost always have accompanying management problems that affect how the technical or business problem gets resolved.

We expect when giving feedback, there will likely be some resistance to the data. We are experienced in handling resistance by ensuring it’s part of the natural process and we perceive it’s a healthy reaction before a decision can be made about how to proceed. Making decisions that people will support is not easy and we know that the process will work better when people have an opportunity to influence decisions that have a direct impact on their work. When people feel that something is important and they have some control, they will be motivated to exert the effort to make things work.

This phase is really about planning and it includes setting goals for the project and selecting the best action steps or changes.

Glide’s problem analysis framework is outlined in the diagram below, which is based on the six analytical dimensions of who/what, how, where, when, how and why.

problem framework

Phase 4: Engagement and Implementation

This involves the execution of the plan. Effective implementation requires internal commitment. People readily commit themselves to things they believe will further their interests. If they see no link between what they are asked to do and what they want to do, the probability of getting an all-out effort from them is not likely.

In many cases, the implementation may fall entirely on your organisation. For larger change efforts, we may be deeply involved. Some projects start with a series of meetings to introduce some change, a single meeting to get different parts of the organisation together to address a problem, or a training session. In these cases, the consultant is usually involved in running the meeting or training session.

Phase 5: Extension, Recycle, or Termination

Phase 5 is about learning from the engagement. Following this is the decision whether to extend the process to a larger segment of the organisation. Sometimes it is not until after some implementation occurs that a clear picture of the real problem emerges. In this case, the process recycles and a new contract needs to be discussed. If the implementation was either a huge success or a moderate-to-high failure, termination of further involvement on this project may be in the offing. There are many options for ending the relationship, and termination should be considered a legitimate and important part of the consultation.

Our ethos for every engagement is;

  1. Bet on engagement over mandate and persuasion
  2. We bring the right of assembly and freedom of speech – to create new conversations
  3. More participation than presentation
  4. Encourage difficult public exchanges
  5. Put real choice on the table and solve problems so they stay solved
  6. Ensure attention is given to both the technical and business problem – there are no purely technical problems
  7. Nurture client commitment to the problem
  8. Just because we are not responsible for what you chose to do, this does not mean we don’t deeply care what happens