Abstract: | The outcomes of professional-client relationships are often less satisfactory than one would expect them to be. This study suggested that professionals using client-oriented interaction behaviors grounded in the interactional view (Reusch & Bateson, 1968; Watzlawick, Beavin, & Jackson, 1967) would be rated as more effective than those who did not. A field study of computer professionals revealed that highly rated professionals used client-oriented communication behaviors more frequently than their counterparts who were rated lower. Moreover, the client-oriented interactional behaviors provided substantial discrimination between high- and low-performing professionals. |