Class after class we have covered specifics about the Action Research Model. I guess what makes me most intrigued is that we use these steps in our everyday life. When we want to work as a team, this model comes into action more. I never realized how tough and important a job of a consultant would be. Actually having the experience and expertise to help companies was a lot harder than I thought. What I found most important is how nothing will be accomplished unless you engage and become involved with management and all the employees. Without the support of the organization, there would be no point in hiring a consultant in the first place. You can also be the best consultant in the world, but if you don’t involve the organization, you probably won’t come up with the best results. Then again, if you were the best consultant, that wouldn’t happen in the first place. What you may not realize is that the 1st step may be the hardest. To actually identify the true problem can be a job in and of itself. The consultant must do research and observations, as well as find ways to find out what is going on in the organization. I question, when do you really know if this is the correct problem that the organization needs to have fixed? What if all the analyzing and planning come out to be the wrong thing? Of course knowing the model you would go back several steps and try again; however, many times this might discourage the organization in my mind. So even though we may think that the Action phase would be most important, it is clear that Feedback as well as Joint Planning and Diagnosis are the key contributors. What I find most interesting is that this model is actually valuable. You have to be honest, many times people throw in models to just make their ideas look smart, but this one is actually a keeper!