Sometimes, the Model Two practitioner has direct power, but restrains its use or holds it in reserve. A Dean of Instruction, for instance, might serve as a consultant to a faculty curriculum committee at her college. She may not be able to control the outcomes of this committee directly, but she will have considerable influence over the committee because of the position she holds.
A third type of power is employed by experienced Model Two practitioners: This is the power associated with charisma or effective salesmanship. The successful Model Two practitioner will be enthusiastic and persuasive in his or her presentation. Most nationally-known consultants combine expertise with the capacity to hold an audience’s attention and with the capacity to interest members of the audience in a specific idea. With charismatic power, a Model Two consultant might be able to bring about Level Two change (a “conversion” experience for the organization); however, this Level Two change is often short-term (as members of the organization return to “reality”).
If a Model Two practitioner does not have expert, referent or charismatic power, then he or she probably should look to one of the other three models for direction. Without his or her own power, a practitioner must rely on the power of the client. This, in turn, requires that the client feel some ownership for the ideas that have emerged from the work done with the practitioner — necessitating the use of Model Three or Four practices.
