Cope, M: Seven Cs of Consulting

CLIENT, CLARIFY, CREATE, CHANGE, CONFIRM, CONTINUE, CLOSE = THE SEVEN SECRETS OF CONSULTANCY

"Most change methods are effective. For the most part, each one is theoretically sound, well-researched, and clearly articulated. But when they're put in organizations, they fail-at least 70 to 80% of the time".

George Smart, Managing Partner, Strategic Development Incorporated

The definition of a consultant is someone who facilitates organisational change and provides expertise on technical, functional and business topics during development or implementation. In other words a consultant is someone who helps others to change.

However, change isn't such an easy target to achieve. Research shows that the vast majority of change programmes fail. On a daily basis we hear about projects that are delayed, cancelled, over budget or boycotted by the end user. The problem is that we can never force people to change - remember the backlash against Jamie Oliver's healthy school meals campaign where parents handed junk food to their children through school fences. The key to successful change is to engage with the end user and help them want to change.

The Seven Cs of Consulting offers a consistent and collaborative language that helps both consultant and client deliver value through sustainable change. Based around the author's highly successful 7Cs model (Client, Clarify, Create, Change, Confirm, Continue, Close) this approach is simple and accessible but firmly grounded in research and real life experience.

The 7Cs approach opens up the complexity of sustainable change to the consultant and client and helps them explore- and then avoid - the real issues that cause change to fail within a more professional and trusting relationship.