Understanding psychological styles in instructional development consultation

Abstract

The thesis of this article is that relationship building is a critical component in any client-designer instructional development project; failure to establish and maintain an effective relationship will reduce the probability of successful project completion. The article outlines Johnson’s Decision Making theory as a conceptual framework from which designers can work to facilitate effective relationships. The theory classifies clients into four styles according to discrete, observable criteria. The discussion of the theory is followed by examples of clients of each style and for each client, possible designer responses are indicated.