Question: I want summary for this paragraph. Interpersonal Process Issues in Entering and Contracting The previous sections on entering and contracting addressed the activities and content

I want summary for this paragraph.

Interpersonal Process Issues in Entering and Contracting The previous sections on entering and contracting addressed the activities and content issues associated with beginning an OD project. In this final section, we discuss the interpersonal process issues an OD practitioner must be aware of to produce a successful agreement. In most cases, the client's expectations, resources, and working relationship requirements will not fit perfectly with the OD practitioner's essential and desirable requirements. Negotiating the differences to improve the likelihood of success can be personally and interpersonally challenging.13 Entering and contracting are the first exchanges between a client and an OD practi-tioner. Establishing a healthy relationship at the outset makes it more likely that the client's desired outcomes will be achieved and that the OD practitioner will be able to improve the organization's capacity to manage change in the future. As shown in Figure 4.1, this initial stage is full of uncertainty and ambiguity. On the one hand, the client is likely to feel exposed, inadequate, or vulnerable. The organization's current effectiveness and the request for help may seem to the client like an admission that the organization is incapable of solving the problem or providing the leadership necessary to achieve positive results. Moreover, clients are entering into a relationship where they may feel unable to control the activities of the OD practitioner. Thus, they feel vulnerable because of their dependency on the practitioner to provide assistance. Consciously or unconsciously, feelings of exposure, inadequacy, or vulnerability may lead clients to resist settling the contract. The OD practitioner must be alert to the signs of resistance, such as asking for extraordinary amounts of detail, and address them skillfully. On the other hand, the OD practitioner may have feelings of empathy, unworthiness, and dependency. The practitioner may over-identify with the client's issues and want to be so helpful that he or she agrees to unreasonable deadlines or inadequate resources. The practi-tioner's desire to be seen as competent and worthy may lead to an agreement on a project for which the practitioner has few skills or experience. Finally, in response to reasonable client requests, the practitioner may challenge the client's motivation and become defensive. Schein noted that OD practitioners too often underestimate or ignore the power and impact of entry and contracting as an intervention in their own right.14 With even the simplest request for help, there are a myriad of things the OD practitioner, entering a system for the first time, does not know. Establishing a relationship with a client must be approached carefully; the initial contacts and conversations must represent a model of how the OD process will be conducted. As a result, actually coming to agreement during the contracting phase can be difficult and intense. Several complex emotional and psychological issues are in play, and OD practitioners must be mindful of their own as well as the client's perspectives. Attending to those issues as well as to the content of the contract will help increase the likelihood of success

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