Change Strategies and the Use of OD Consultants to Facilitate Change : Part II: The Role of the Internal Consultant in OD

In considering the alternative strategies for change in Part I of this article, and the strategy of OD in particular, the definitions of OD suggested that the consultant played an essential role in facilitating change. Despite this, there is no widely accepted definition of the role of consultant. Indeed, it may be argued that several roles are currently subsumed under the title, for example the role of “change generator” and “change implementor” as defined by Ottaway and Cooper. There is also some evidence that internal and external consultants, apart from working from different bases, are capable or equipped to perform different tasks. External consultants are able to create and sustain a belief that change is possible, whilst internal consultants are the disseminators and implementors of change.