2. Review the attachment Chapter 3A - When a Contract is not Enough and answer the following questions:

a. One could say that this particular consulting relationship was heading toward trouble from the start. What could the consultants have done differently to avoid the problems encountered once the contract was in place?

b. When the client pushed for the consultants to ignore one of the fundamental rights of participants, it became obvious to the consultants that a value conflict had reared its ugly head into this consulting project. How could the consultants have uncovered this potential conflict prior to the shocking exposure during the meeting described at the end of the case scenario?

c. What values of organization development are at risk in this case? How can an OD practitioner promote the values of OD in a consulting engagement like this one?

The Consulting Organization: Deep within America's heartland resides a small, private consulting firm housed within a graduate psychology program. Designed to act as a practicum for graduate students pursuing doctoral degrees in applied psychology, the rm functions as an independent entity within the university. Organization members include a program faculty member as the director and program students as associates. Students are required to participate in the consulting rm for a minimum of two full academic years. Student members are termed junior associates during their first year, achieving the status of senior associate based on completing the first year and independently leading a consulting project. This organization is unique in that it is managed primarily by the associates, with the director acting only as an overseer and adviser. Total associate numbers over the years have ranged from 4 to 12 members and are generally dependent on the number of students accepted for each class along with the speed at which students move through program requirements. Most client interest in the firm is generated through word of mouth, but the firm does conduct specific and directed advertising as well. Consulting projects since the firm's inception (1982) have included such tasks as conducting and analyzing focus groups, performing program evaluations, and facilitating a private educational organization in reconstructing its identity to incorporate a research-focused agenda, among many others. Project choice is based on a combination of associate interest, skill level of the associates, and educational value of the project. Project teams consist of a project leader and team members. Consulting projects are generated from clients both inside and outside the university setting. Consulting Organization Values: Considering the fundamental purpose of the consulting firm is educational growth for its members, one may assume a lack of flexibility within the value framework of the organization. However, because the membership within the firm is transient and the \"employment\" compulsory for all members, there is a certain degree of uctuation that can occur within the firm's value structure from project to project and semester to semester. The standard values that do not change are the following: All decisions pertaining to the consulting aspects of the firm are made by the associates within a democratic framework. Quantity of proj ects should not interfere with the normal matriculation of members through the hosting academic program. All projects utilizing a research framework will adhere to the ethical standards of research practice. Negotiating a Contract One of the benefits to clients in hiring this particular firm for consulting work is the signicantly reduced rates charged by the rm. For instance, firm fees at the time of this project consisted of associate hourly billing at $40 an hour and staff hourly billing at $10 an hour. At the time, these fees represented about half of the going rates for independent consultants at the low end. Hourly rates were kept low to ensure a steady stream of clients for the students' development, as well as being indicative of the nonprofit nature of the firm. However, these savings came with drawbacks in the form of the firm associates' weekly availability, clients\" receipt of exclusive attention, and the speed of project completion. Being students, all firm members had other pressing responsibilities to the program and are required to provide only 20 hours per week to the firm. Furthermore, associates often work on at least three different projects at any given time of the year, meaning that most associates are minimally team members on multiple projects throughout their membership with the firm. During the negotiation stage of the relationship with a client, project leaders fully disclose the student status of the fnm's associates and explain in great detail the time constraints associated with this type of organization structure. OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT The Consulting Team For this particular project, the team consisted of a project leader with senior associate status and three team members with junior associate status. The rm's personnel size at the time was nine members: six senior associates and three junior associates. The Client This client was a member of the university community. The client heard of the rm via a conversation with the firm's founder/professor emeritus of the program, and worked for a large state agency housed within the university. The client's primary goal for seeking the rm's assistance was to explore the volunteering behaviors of her constituents in an effort to increase volunteer activity within the state. The Contract Contracts for this firm follow a very specic template that includes a brief explanation of the primary goals of the project, a detailed description of the rm's role, a detailed description of the client's role, a tentative timeline, and the fee structure. After a few meetings with the client to establish the parameters of the project (entry stage), a memorandum of agreement (MOA) or contract was developed and signed (contracting stage). For this project, the firm's responsibilities included the following