Process Consultation as a Mechanism of Transformative Learning: Informing Management Learning

Process consultation is a term developed by Edgar Schein in the 1960s as his contribution to organization development theory and practice. The central insight of the theory of process consultation is being helpful to managers to think out and work through issues and problems with which they are faced and for which they need help. Transformative learning explores how, when adults experience disorientating dilemmas, their sense of well-being is disturbed, The learning and change that takes place as a result of this experience can be personally transformative as individuals add to their existing meaning schemes or add new meaning schemes to their storehouse of knowledge that is highly significant and a source of achievement and success for them. What has hitherto been lacking is an exploration of how the theory and practice of transformative learning inform what takes place in and through process consultation. This article seeks to address this gap and so to contribute to the field of management learning by exploring how process consultation enables transformative learning in managers. Keywords: process consultation; transformative learning; Jack Mezirow; Edgar H. Schein; management learning