Being a consultant must be a value driven profession. In the 90’s and 200’s consultancy moved quickly with freedom and opportunity, but now there is a shift in the way consultants need to think. (Greiner & Poulfelt, 2010) Clients are looking for consultants with whom they can trust and build relationships with to insure they are quality individuals as well as skilled consultants.
Values are socially and personally shared conceptions of the good, desirable, and righteous way of living. (Bishop, 2013). Values are the reasons ‘why’ people do the things they do, the background operating system of behavior that guides individuals. Some believe the origin of values comes from one’s environment while others believe they emanate from within an individual. (Bishop, 2013) Still others, believe values originate from a religious figure. For Christians, values are believed to be instilled into an individual as a reflection of the Creator, Yahweh. (Bishop, 2013) Throughout Jesus’ ministry, and the writing of Paul the apostle, there is clear establishment of values expected to be adhered to for Christ followers. (Mat. 5, Gal 5)
For consultants who are disciples of Christ, values should be a cornerstone of their approach to consulting. Though the Christian faith may receive a great deal of opposition in the current social climate of tolerance and advancement, the values encouraged by the Christian faith are still embraced. It is vital consultants establish trusting relationships with their clients in order to have successful engagement of change, as well as lasting consulting opportunities. (Block, 2011) Values are the major factors that contribute to job satisfaction and employee morale, and it also contributes to organizational performance, competitiveness, speed-to-change, innovation, willingness to learn new things, and overall operational success. (Khan, 2006) These are all desired outcomes clients desire to receive from their consultant relationships.
References
Bishop, W. H. (2013). The Genesis of Values in Genesis. Journal of Human Values, 19(2), 127–132. http://doi.org/10.1177/0971685813492271
Block, P. (2011). Flawless consulting: a guide to getting your expertise used (3rd ed). San Francisco: Pfeiffer.
Fagerberg, D. W. (2001). New Creation: A Liturgical Worldview. Theology Today, 57(4), 552–554.
Greiner, L. E., & Poulfelt, F. (Eds.). (2010). Management consulting today and tomorrow: perspectives and advice from 27 leading world experts. New York: Routledge.
Khan, S. (2006). It’s Not so Much What as How. Consulting to Management, vol. 17(iss. 2), pp.62–63.
