Change Team Roles
Role 7: process helper
Assists problem-solving at every stage and works toward building internal problem-solving capacity.
the change agent as process helper
The most comprehensive change agent role is that of the “Process Helper,” the one who assists the client system at every stage of problem solving and works toward building an internal capacity for problem solving within the client system itself.
Because most people who want to bring about change are not experts on the "HOW TO" of change, they can be helped greatly by others who are skilled in many of the stages of problem solving. It is a complicated role that is not always understood or appreciated by those who are committed to a particular course of action. The process helper is always saying, "Wait a minute; isn't there some other aspect we should consider?" or "Aren't there some other people who should be involved in this?
Being an Effective Process Helper
An important strategic choice for the process helper change agent is whether to intervene directly or indirectly. In the most indirect form, the agent acts as a friendly observer, fully aware of the process, but intervening primarily through posing questions so that the members of the client system feel that they are the primary decision makers at every stage.
More active process helping might include suggestions about key issues, sources, and solution ideas. Process helpers might organize meetings where various issues are raised. They might also propose agendas or suggest who might be contacted and brought into the process.
Filling the PROCESS HELPER Role on the Change Team
Here are questions to ask as you consider how to fill the Process Helper role on the change team:
- Can you conceive the entire process of this project or change effort in terms of the 7 stages?
- Can you map the system and identify the major players and interest groups on your map?
- Can you determine roughly where the system stands now in a progression toward a successful planned change?
- If you see yourself as the Process Helper, is your role as a process helper correctly perceived by critical stakeholders?
- If not you, can you identify other potential helpers who could fill in for you on the specifics of different stages?
- Have you identified and prepared others to take on the process-helping role after you have moved on?
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