Process Consultation is the creation of a relationship with the client that permits the client to perceive, understand, and act on the process events that occur in the client’s internal and external environment in order to improve the situation as defined by the client. (Ed Schein, 1969).  Process Consultation has become the most used term to indicate a form of consultation that is not so much focusing on expert advice or on 'bringing in a solution' but this form of consulting offers a 'helping relationship' to people in organizations.  It provides a way and an opportunity for the stakeholders of issues in an organization to start working together on the issue and invent their own solutions.  It is based on the assumption that the stakeholders have the content expertise to solve the issues, but that they need a consultant to support the process by which they can work together and find through the sharing of their expertise co-create the way to go. Sometimes the term collaborative consulting is also used.  An important part of collaborative consulting is about developing ownership for the issues and the possible interventions within the client organization. An important issue is the need for the consultant to work towards autonomy for the client organization and avoiding to develop some kind of 'dependence' on the consultant. (the marginality of the consultant versus the centrality for the members of the organization). Another term that pops up from time to time is 'systemic consulting' which is not in contradiction with process consultation. That term highlights the importance to look at the organizational system as a whole and the interrelations of the different parts of the system and how that creates meaning in the organization.

Another term that pops up from time to time is 'systemic consulting' which is not in contradiction with process consultation. That term highlights the importance to look at the organizational system as a whole and the interrelations of the different parts of the system and how that creates meaning in the organization.

A few more articles on systemic and/or process consultation are listed below :

• Campbell, David and Huffington, Claire (2008) Introduction: Six stages of systemic consultation. In: Organizations Connected: A Handbook of Systemic Consultation. Karnac Books, London, pp. 1-14.
• Edgar Schein, Adam Kahane & Otto Schramer., (2001).  Humility and Ignorance. What it takes to be an effective process consultant.Reflections, Vol.3, N°2.
• Lambrechts, F., Bouwen R., Grieten, S., Huybrechts, J., & E. Schein., (2011). Learning to Help Through Humble Inquiry and Implications for Management Research, Practice and Education : An Interview with Edgar H. Schein. Academy of Management Learning and Education. Vol.10, N°1.
• Ariane Berthoin Antal and Camilla Krebsbach-Gnath., (1998). Consultants as Agents of Organizational Learning: The Importance of Marginality.  WZB (Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung).
• Steven Appelbaum & Anthony Steed., (2005). The critical success factors in the client-consulting relationship. Journal of Management Development. (no longer available on line)
• Hans Strikwerda., (1998).  De waarde van de organisatieadviseur (enkel gepubliceerd op internet).