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Prisoners of the paradigm: process consultants and 'clinical' development practitioners

Blunt, P (1997). Prisoners of the paradigm: process consultants and 'clinical' development practitioners. Public Administration and Development,17(3):341-349.

Document type: Journal Article
Citation counts: Scopus Citation Count Cited 7 times in Scopus Article | Citations

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Title Prisoners of the paradigm: process consultants and 'clinical' development practitioners
Author Blunt, P
Journal Name Public Administration and Development
Publication Date 1997
Volume Number 17
Issue Number 3
ISSN 0271-2075   (check CDU catalogue open catalogue search in new window)
Scopus ID 2-s2.0-0031423648
Start Page 341
End Page 349
Total Pages 9
Place of Publication London
Publisher John Wiley & Sons Ltd
HERDC Category C1 - Journal Article (DEST)
Abstract It is argued that process consultancy and clinical development practice, which are the dominant methods underlying much of the consulting work undertaken by development practitioners, are adopted for ideological rather than pragmatic reasons. The behaviour of process consultants is said to bear the hallmarks of the puzzle-solving activity of normal scientists operating within a ruling paradigm. The scientific and practical limitations of process consultancy are discussed within this context. A pragmatic approach, which attempts to match consultancy method with the circumstances in which it is to be applied, is presented on logical and empirical grounds as being more likely to produce desirable outcomes. It is also suggested that, in many development contexts, desirable outcomes are more likely to be achieved where emphasis is given to ends rather than means.
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-162X(199708)17:3<341::AID-PAD954>3.0.CO;2-N   (check subscription with CDU E-Gateway service for CDU Staff and Students  check subscription with CDU E-Gateway in new window)
 
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Created: Fri, 12 Sep 2008, 08:35:25 CST by Administrator