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The steering committee chair will perform the role of leader and process
facilitator and function as a group member on issues where he or she has a
strong opinion or input. Some people wear all three hats more easily than oth-
ers. When the chair’s process and facilitator skills are not strong, group mem-
bers may feel railroaded, inadequately consulted, and forced to go along with
things they do not support. A facilitator from outside, however, can safeguard
the process by projecting an outsider’s detachment and objectivity. The out-
side facilitator can coach the chair and help him or her stay in touch with the
group’s feelings and direction. A skilled facilitator will also be able to inter-
vene in the group’s deliberations, to reorient the group or draw attention to
and help solve a developing process problem.
A second purpose of outside consultants is to provide needed expert infor-
mation. For example, a steering committee or task force considering reorgan-
ization will profit from information on how other similar organizations are
structured. Often, a consultant familiar with the industry has worked in a
number of companies within the field and can describe different kinds of
organizations as well as strengths and weaknesses of different structures and
work flow patterns. Consultants experienced in the field provide a broad spec-
trum of what is happening in similar organizations and how you might
improve your own.
A third role for outside consultants is to conduct parts of the analysis itself
for the steering committee. Management studies by outside consultants are
common because they provide an objective, independent viewpoint. One
newly installed leader, for example, used outside consultants because she did
not feel internal resources would look critically enough at an organization long
accustomed to doing things the same way.
In another case, the consultant became the surrogate for a steering com-
mittee that had too little time to pursue all the sources of data required. In this
case, the analysis was organized into subparts that were assigned to different
consultants. One analyzed results of a questionnaire distributed among
employees; a second conducted diagnostic interviews with all top managers
and a sample of the first-line workforce; a third conducted interviews with
people who had left the organization or declined offers to join it. The steering
committee synthesized the three different elements of the analysis and directed
the review and consolidation of consultant reports into a comprehensive crit-
ical issues paper, which included the final recommendations. The biggest dis-
advantage of such an approach is that it significantly reduces the involvement