Practicing Organization Development: A Guide for Leading Change: A Third Edition

THE CLOSURE PROCESS

Done properly, the closure phase will be linked back to the contracting phase. What did the initial contract (probably revised a number of times along the way) call for? For external consultants, the contract covers the work to be done, of course, and is usually accompanied by specifications regarding time and money. This process may be less defined for internal consultants, since they are often considered to be “on call” much of the time. Yet internal OD consultants can conduct their practice in much the same way as externals, that is, moving through the phases from entry and contracting to closure. It’s just that separation for internals is more like a clearly demarcated ending of a project but not ending a relationship ...