Book Review: Process Consultation — Its Role in Organisation Development

ByGeorges Lteif

1. Who Should Read Process Consultation by Dr Edgar Schein

Professor Edgar Schein, whose seminal work on organisational culture remains a cornerstone in that field, wrote Process Consultation to describe what experts should consider when consulting for organisations on matters of organisational processes. Based on this, you might think this book is not for you as that specific area of consultancy is not something you contemplate doing soon.

Process Consultation is actually two books in one. Despite its relatively small size (147 pages), it tackles two topics at once:

  • An introduction to group psychology
  • An exploration of process consultation

As we just said, the second half about process consultancy might not be relevant to everyone. On the other hand, the first half is an absolute delight and a treasure trove into organisational psychology.

With his clear and engaging writing style, Schein brings to life topics that almost every professional manager or employee has experienced in his career. Below is a list of those topics.

Group psychology topics in Process Consultation

2. What I loved About Process Consultation

  • The first thing you will love about Process Consultation is the conciseness of the text, given the gamut of topics it explores. This is a small book packed with insights, references, and accessible technical concepts that are just what managers and employees need in a very busy world.
  • If Process Consultation were only about that, it would have been a very specialized work that may not be relevant to everybody. However, Schein has included a concise introduction to group psychology in Part 1, which spans roughly half the book.
  • The subtopics of group psychology presented in the book are seldom discussed in meetings, workshops, or seminars, at least not in the depth, clarity, and authority with which Schein presents them. Most workshops today would focus on how things should be (in a somewhat Utopian state). However, reality is messy, and this is where books like Process Consultation are invaluable.
  • While Schein published Process Consultation in 1969, it is a testament to the validity of his ideas that these have remarkably stood the test of time. I firmly believe that human nature has not changed since the first copies of this book were printed.

3. What Could Have Been Better in Process Consultation

  • There is hardly anything to complain about regarding this book, except it is probably a bit hard to find.

4. Bio and Publications

For a short biography of Professor Edgar Schein and a list of his publications, see Book Review: Organisational Culture and Leadership.

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