Two of the 12 core competencies of Process Consulting are Learning in Partnership and Learning Toward Wisdom with the client.
In process consulting engagements, too often the executive team or board of directors will lean on its seasoned professionals or volunteers to solve complex problems or create the future state of the company or organization…without including the younger members who may lack the longevity of their peers but nonetheless have their own wisdom to share.
The preponderance of seeking “older” wisdom puts the organization at risk because it can lead to generationally narrow results and solutions.
If you really want to know what’s going on in the community or on the frontlines of the company, an inquiry-based process should include younger people too. This is the opposite of accusations about ageism where older employees and stakeholders are pushed out – which is also serious and unfortunate.
The specificity of participants would be put into the “Who” section of a consulting agreement after discussion about who is involved, to what degree, who is not at the table but should be, and if not, why not?
In youth development a common phrase is “nothing for them without them (the youth)” meaning that quite often elders will decide how a program is designed or launched without ever including the very people it was intended to empower. That approach is patriarchal or matriarchal, robbing the younger people of agency, input and decision-making.
What would it look like if:
- You changed your usual approach to include a spectrum of ages in the process?
- Younger people structured and led the meetings?
- There was a formal way they could offer their critical thinking and reflection?
Would these modifications lead to better fulfilment of Learning in Partnership and Learning Toward Wisdom, as core competencies of Process Consulting?
The ability to include all types, and ages, of leaders also helps to prevent tokenism in the workplace. My urging and encouragement is to revisit the “Who” before you launch the consulting process and revisit it along the way because a multi-generational approach is more likely to yield more wisdom.
If this topic interests you, I’d be delighted to help you figure out your “Who” to honor the wisdom of multiple generations.
Walking Alongside,
Kim Stezala, EPC
Senior Design Partner
Design Group International
Dig Deeper
What do Newer Generations of Employees Want
Tokenism in the Workplace https://business.vanderbilt.edu/news/2018/02/26/tokenism-in-the-workplace/
Involving Youth in Youth Development https://youth.gov/youth-topics/involving-youth-positive-youth-development
ut yourself in an immersive environment. Visit an aquarium where you can be surrounded by fish.
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