The systemic impact of a consultant within an organisational field

Burns, Susanne (2010) The systemic impact of a consultant within an organisational field. [Doctorate by Public Works]

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Abstract

My public work represents both a body of knowledge developed through valid and robust research and grounded in practice as well as evidence of a set of working methods and processes through which it has emerged. The body of knowledge it represents about the cultural sector as a whole, and the dance field in particular, is deep and I have evidenced that this has impacted significantly on the field. Through reflection on my practice, my working methods and processes, I have been able to extrapolate some key learning that may inform the way in which we consider the relationships between consultancy, leadership, organisational development and systemic change in organisational fields. I have proposed that the role of the consultant as thought leader and transformational change agent is potent. My hypothesis is that a consultant working within a given field can have system-wide impact because the leadership exerted extends beyond the boundaries of individual organisations. This submission draws on an extensive body of research carried out over the last 6 years in my work as a freelance consultant. It relates the work to the above hypothesis in order to explore the interrelated processes. I extract learning from this exploration that will assist with the ongoing development of a body of knowledge concerning systems and leadership, consultancy, organisational and field development and applied research. My work has crossed art form boundaries but, more recently (2005- present), has focussed on the dance field. The works to which this statement refers draw primarily on research carried out within the dance field between 2007 and 2010. I examine the primary works in dance to analyse impact in a specific field. A secondary body of work supports the analysis drawing from a range of different research projects undertaken within different art form contexts along with a body of experience that includes my non executive leadership. I examine these secondary works to analyse the role of the consultant as leader and then reference all works in examining the impact of applied research.

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