Stage Eight: Intervention
This stage is not only the most public and potentially the most significant stage in the consultation process, it is also the stage which is most idiosyncratic and, therefore, most difficult to describe and generalize about. By definition, any intervention that is responsive and tailored to the specific needs of a client system will be unique and of limited general application. Therefore, we will not describe specific intervention strategies in great detail, but rather refer the reader to later essays in this series about consulting in the domains of information, intentions and ideas.
In several instances, the models that were presented in previous essays incorporated previous stages in the consultation process (particularly data collection, analysis and feedback). In many instances a consultation will terminate before moving to action-oriented stages. In these instances, the information stages themselves constitute an intervention. A consultant and client, however, should be aware that they are stopping short of action when they make use of these information-oriented interventions (for example, survey-feedback or process consultation).
Stage Nine: Evaluation of the Intervention
The evaluation of a consultative intervention ideally will serve two functions: (a) formative improvement of the intervention while it is still being performed and (b) summative assessment of the overall impact of the intervention, which will be used for subsequent planning and decision-making. An effective evaluation of an intervention will contribute both to the client’s knowledge of his own institution and to the consultant’s awareness of his own strengths and weaknesses.
Formative Evaluation
As a tool for the formative improvement of a continuing program, the evaluation should be conducted throughout the intervention. Frequently, this will mean nothing more than periodic interruptions during a workshop or conference to inquire about participant satisfaction with the design and implementation of the event. At other times, a more formal evaluation might be provided at a natural break in the program. If a consultant is providing a series of workshops or is meeting with a number of different constituencies to sell them on a specific proposal, it is valuable to pause occasionally in order to determine if the strategies being employed need some revision. This mid-project evaluation usually is conducted by the consultant, client and several members of the audience. Even a written report is appropriate to formative evaluation if it can be circulated first in draft form to the client, the audience or a “pilot” group of readers for reaction and revision.
