Consultant use of questions and its relationship to consultee evaluation of effectiveness

Initial problem identification interviews of 41 consultant-consultee dyads were audiotaped, transcribed, and coded with respect to three dimensions of consultant questions: format, process, and response. The occurrence of three question categories (open-ended questions, inference questions, and accepted questions) were expected to be positively related to consultees' evaluation of consultant effectiveness. Whereas correlations based on frequency data supported the latter two hypotheses, correlations using percentage data were nonsupportive. These results contribute to a body of literature that reports small and inconsistent relationships between verbal process categories and outcomes. Correlational approaches do not take into account the fact that skillful use of such verbal procedures requires that they be used in a responsive versus prescriptive fashion. Alternatives to correlational approaches to process-outcome research are discussed.