Chapter 10: Neurotic Styles of Management: Consultants Be Aware

Effective consultants strive to assist clients in managing their firms using sound management practices. They help by assessing needed changes, developing a change strategy and implementing it. They use processes and practices that rely on logic and rational decision making. There are clients, however, who may mean well, but whose styles are anxious and idiosyncratic, in essence with neurotic styles (Motamedi, 2007) that tend to undermine effective consulting. When the consultant does not effectively deal with a client’s neurotic style and needs, the consulting process becomes ineffective and even detrimental to client organizations and people. The consequences may even produce reckless results.