The organizational consultant’s role in school improvement

Purpose: The involvement of organizational development (OD) consultants in schools has become widespread in recent years. In Israel, their presence increased in the past 2 decades when the Ministry of Education encouraged their entry as support for the self-management reform and improvement of failing schools. Despite accumulated experience and the research literature, little is known about their work patterns and how they contribute to school improvement. Therefore, our main research question is what they do and how their actions contribute to the school. We investigated this question based on an innovative conceptual framework that combines the focus of organizational intervention (individual, group and organization) and professional skills (diagnosis, intervention and inference). Design/methodology/approach: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 Israeli OD consultants, and content analysis revealed a total of 86 consulting events. Findings: The findings of this study show significant events at individual and group levels, and only a few at the organization level. It was also found that while all the events focused on intervention, very few presented the professional skills of diagnosis and inference. We conclude that while the involvement of OD consultants in schools might contribute to immediate relief for the educational staff and to the symbolic appearance of rational management, their contribution to school improvement is still uncertain. Further theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Originality/value: The conceptual framework of organizational level and professional skills bridges the gap between organizational development goals and the professional skills needed to implement these goals, indicating areas that require further theoretical and practical development.