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CAREERS & MANAGEMENT 6/2019 Business SpotlightCAREERS & MANAGEMENT
EXECUTIVE EYE“It is not what is done,^
but who does it and how
they do it”
Um ein gutes Resultat zu erzielen, ist es meist nicht
wichtig, was man tut, sondern wer es tut und wie es
getan wird. Deshalb sollte man die Person, bei der
man sich Rat holt, sorgfältig wählen.
ADVANCED PLUSA
lmost all interventions are equal-
ly effective. Doctors call this
the “placebo effect”, while psy-
chologists refer to it as the “non-
specific effect”. In education, it is
called the “inspirational teacher
effect”. But this knowledge has
not got through to the business
world. And many consultants want to
keep it that way.
To determine a treatment’s effective-
ness, it is important to distinguish be-
tween two factors. The first is called the
“direct specific effect” and relates to the
actual treatment. In medicine, it could be
the different drugs used to treat the same
problem. In psychology, it could be using
a psychoanalytic therapy versus a cogni-
tive behavioural therapy for a patient suf-
fering from depression. And in business,
it refers to the effects of various manage-
ment strategies for the same processes,
for example the impact of quality circles
versus 360-degree feedback on increasing
productivity.
But there are also non-specific effects
in medicine, therapy, education and busi-
ness. They arise out of the relationship
between the consultant and the client,
which is a powerful force in the ultimate
outcome.
The consultant helps by giving the cli-
ent positive expectations. They make the
client focus on their problems. They also
give considerable social, emotional and
informational support. And they get in-
volved in shared goals and activities.ADRIAN FURNHAM
is a professor in
the Department of
Leadership and
Organization-
al Psychology at
the BI Norwegian
Business School
and author of 92
books.Consider the four factors shown to be powerful predictors of
success in psychotherapy. They all apply to the consultant–client
relationship:⋅
There is a positive, emotionally charged and bonding relation-
ship with a helping person.⋅
There is an atmosphere of renewal, change, healing or novelty.⋅
The consultant provides a theory (sometimes a myth) that de-
scribes how the problem arose and a magic bullet to resolve it.⋅
The consultant initiates and even takes part in some form of
ritual with the client. Both have a firm belief in its effective-
ness, and it usually fits in with the zeitgeist.Scientific literature on psychotherapy shows that the ther-
apist is more important than the therapy. So, it is not what is
done, but who does it and how they do it that counts most for
a successful outcome. Translated into business, this means the
consultant is more important than the actual change process.
Insightful managers and good consultants know this. They
know that success lies in relationships. There are no magic bul-
lets, but there are magic marksmen. So, choose your consult-
ant with care. It is your relationship with them, and their skill,
charisma and charm, that will really get the job done.360-degree feedback
[)Tri: )hVndrId )sIksti
di)gri: (fi:dbÄk]
, 360-Grad-Beurteilung,
Multi-Rater-Feedback
bonding [(bQndIN]
, einem Bindungsprozess
unterliegend
charisma [kE(rIzmE]
, [wg. Aussprache]
distinguish between
(two things)
[dI(stINgwIS bi)twi:n]
, zwischen (zwei Dingen)
unterscheideninsightful [(InsaItfUl]
, verständnisvoll
magic bullet
[)mÄdZIk (bUlIt] ifml.
, Allheilmittel,
Patentlösung
(bullet , Kugel)
marksman
[(mA:ksmEn]
, Schütze
novelty [(nQv<i]
, Neuheit; hier: etwas
Neues
outcome [(aUtkVm]
, Ergebnispredictor
[pri(dIktE]
, Prädiktor, Prognose-
faktor
quality circle
[(kwQlEti )s§:k&l]
, Qualitätszirkel (inner-
betrieblicher Arbeitskreis)
resolve sth.
[ri(zQlv]
, etw. lösen
translate sth. into sth.
[trÄns(leIt )Intu]
, hier: etw. auf etw.
übertragen+ PLUS
Try our reading
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