The Future of Virtual Consulting, Coaching, and Advisory in 2022 and Beyond
By Ed Kang - GMF Director
If you’re a consultant, coach, or advisor, you most likely worked virtually to some degree over the past two years. You still might be virtual now or find yourself as a hybrid in one form or another. It’s a topic we’re going to explore for the upcoming International Society for Organization Development and Change (ISODC) conference.
The “New Normal?”
One thing for sure is that we’re never going back to the way things were before the global pandemic. Organizations across the globe have undergone the single greatest distributed workforce experiment—to varying results. But once that genie came out of the bottle, it’s not going back without a serious fight. Look no further than the Great Resignation and remote worker trend to point us to the “new normal.”
With that in mind, here are three areas of virtualization that organizations and practitioners must consider.
Virtualization of Organization Development and Change (OD&C)
At its core, OD&C requires a systems-based process and approach. Digital systems are as valid as offline analog ones. As OD&C practitioners, we can’t ignore that organizations are working more virtually than ever before, and digitalization is only accelerating through advancements such as automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Therefore, shouldn’t we learn how to consult the same way?
For example, if an organization is entirely remote-based using tools such as Slack or Microsoft Teams, how effective is the OD&C consultant with no knowledge or experience using the same? Or better yet, what if the organization needs to adapt to a virtual environment? How might the consultant hold them back from adopting new technologies?
Another example is the virtual intervention. Imagine an OD&C consultant is used to live workshops, but suddenly, remote workers must participate? It’s the exact situation I encountered while facilitating interventions for Envision, a brand culture firm, and its clients. Based on this experience, I began working with platforms such as SpeedNetworking.com to conduct completely virtual interventions for similar results to live interventions.
Virtualization of Executive Coaching
Even after working with executive coaching clients for the last two years, I firmly believe that nothing beats a face-to-face coaching session. The advantages are self-evident from fewer distractions and the ability to read whole body language, but less considered factors such as neurochemical exchanges.
However, new studies are emerging about the efficacy of virtual communication. As technology such as video streaming improves, the gap between live and online meetings is closing. And although a common fear is an online addiction, if adequately coached during the interaction, the effect is far different from playing a video game.
The most significant advantage I see in virtual coaching is the opportunity for “one-to-many” delivery with ongoing support free of live session-based limitations. For example, I’ll coach a group of clients online at once and then stay in touch with them through digital messaging for fine-tuning. Therefore, virtual coaching can now scale in different ways.
Virtualization of Advisory
Being an advisor often requires combinations of consulting and coaching. But the virtualization of advisory is where I think the genuine opportunity lies. Since November 2021, I’ve explored virtual advisory for startups, and the possibilities seem vast.
The most compelling reason for virtual advisory is a connection to networks of expertise. As a sole advisor, I’m limited. But if connected to a network of resources such as specialists and subject-matter-experts, I can quickly “connect the dots” for a client. The result is a far superior advisory product, especially if I stay in touch the same way as a virtual coach. Like the startup Founders, I work with daily, advisory clients no longer rely on local advice but can access a global resource. My hunch is that virtual advisory will spread for more adoption across multiple industries in the years to come.
Furthermore, platforms like Clarity.fm allow clients to find, pick, and engage advisors more effectively. And just like freelancing for Upwork or Fiverr, professionals can find work as advisors with just as much ease. You can now find an advisor, literally, for anything.
Ready to Join the Discussion?
The virtualization of organization development and change is one of the major themes for our upcoming international conference. I hope that practitioners worldwide will contribute to the discussion, especially since international affiliates from China, India, Africa, Lebanon, and other nations plan to attend. As a member of the ISODC board of directors and president of ISODC China, I invite you to join us on April 25-28. Learn more and register here >
