Second‐order intervention: enhancing organizational competence and performance

While most managerial interventions into organizational and business processes have the character of a direct interference, the interventions of consultants are rather indirect. They are meant to improve the organization and its performance, via a dialogue with the management. To clarify the specific role of consultants we shall introduce the concept of second‐order intervention, therewith sharpening or, in a certain sense, redefining that role. We shall revert to a case study, which refers to a System Dynamics (SD) modelling and simulation project, to illustrate how a series of second‐order interventions has opened new paths towards superior organizational competence and performance. This was an exploratory study, in the tradition of Action Research, not a hypothesis‐testing venture. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.