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Consulting Skills

Consulting Skills. Kecia Stevenson Rome September 26, 2007 . Teaching Objectives. To provide class with an overview of key consulting skills, the basic model of the consulting process, and exposure to the following: Ethical issues in consulting Career opportunities in consulting.

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Consulting Skills

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  1. Consulting Skills Kecia Stevenson Rome September 26, 2007

  2. Teaching Objectives • To provide class with an overview of key consulting skills, the basic model of the consulting process, and exposure to the following: • Ethical issues in consulting • Career opportunities in consulting

  3. What is a Consultant? • Someone who provides his or her unique expertise to an organization or to someone else.

  4. Internal Consultant • A professional who is employed full-time by an organization and who reports to a general manager or other senior management. He/she works exclusively within the domain of the employing organization and at the request of the manager to whom he/she reports.

  5. External Consultant • A professional who does not work within a parent.host company. A professional who has an expertise in a specific area and offers his/her services to the public and/or private sector.

  6. Consultant’s Objectives • To establish a collaborative relationship • To solve problems so they stay solved • To ensure attention is given to both the technical/business problem and the relationships

  7. Key Consulting Skills • Technical • Time management • Team work • Software application • Interpersonal • Open minded • Support • Respect • Consulting • Listening • Building Trust • Balancing Directness

  8. Practical Applications • Bain & Company seek applicants who possess: • Big picture thinking • Problem solving logic • Focus on value • Depth and breadth- business intuition • Results orientation

  9. Consulting Process • Entry & Contracting • Discover & Data Collection • Feedback & Decision to Act • Engagement & Implementation • Recycle, Extension, & Terminate

  10. Entry & Contracting • Negotiating • Coping with mixed motivation • Exposure and control • Contracting • Triangular • Rectangular

  11. Discovery & Data Collection • Layers of analysis • Political climate • Resistance to share information • Interview as a joint learning event

  12. Feedback & The Decision To Act • Funneling data • Presenting data • Managing the feedback meeting • Focus on here and now • Don’t take it personally

  13. Restate original contract Structure of meeting Present findings Present recommendations Ask for client’s reaction Ask client did they get what they wanted Decision to proceed Test for client concerns-control/ commitment Did consultant get what they wanted? Give support Block’s 10 Step Feedback

  14. Engagement & Implementation • Bet on engagement over mandate and persuasion • Design more participation then presentation • Encourage difficult public exchange • Change the conversation

  15. Recycle, Extension, Termination • Evaluate what happened in “Engagement and Implementation” • Decide on next step • Recycle • Extension • Termination

  16. APIE Change Model • Assessthe need for change • Planthe change • Implement the change • Evaluatethe change process and results

  17. Consultant Roles • Expert • Service • Collaborative

  18. Expert Role • Class: Describe what behaviors are exhibited by the client and the consultant? • Client: Inactive participation • Consultant: Determines need, gathers data, make decisions, plans and implements change

  19. Service Role • Class: Describe what behaviors are exhibited by the client and the consultant? • Client: Determines need, gathers data, make decisions, plans and implements change • Consultant: Inactive participation

  20. Collaborative Role • Class: Describe what behaviors are exhibited by the client and the consultant? • Client and Consultant: Actively participate to determine needs, gather data, make decisions, plan and implement change

  21. Consulting Styles • Stabilizer • Cheerleader • Analyzer • Persuader • Pathfinder

  22. Ethical Issues • Boundaries of competence • Conflicts between ethics and company demands • Explaining assessment results

  23. References • Bain & Company (www.bain.com) • Block, Peter. (2000) Flawless Consulting: A guide to getting your expertise used (2nd Ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer. • Harvey, D. & Brown, D.R. (2006) An experimental approach to organization development (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ. Prentice-Hall, Inc. • Nelson, B. & Economy, P. (1997) Consulting for dummies. Foster City, CA: IDG Books. • Schein, Edgar H. (1988) Process Consultation, vol.1: It’s role in organization development . Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley.

  24. Q & A

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