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Consultancy project
What is consultancy module?
This module sets out to help you explore consultancy as a process with which you may become involved as either a client or consultant. There are many people who call themselves consultants who do not really offer consultancy but sell their polished solutions to whoever is willing to pay them. There are others who act as consultants without recognising that they are delivering a consultancy service to their internal or external client. Anyone who helps someone to identify a problem they face, helps them decide how to address that problem and then assists in implementing and reviewing the agreed solution is a consultant. It is important to distinguish between cause and effect; the consultant should help the client to be more confident in separating causes from the effects and treating the causes rather than the effects.
The workbook provides the theory, and the workshop offers opportunities to practise some of the skills. The assignment is intended to assist your reflection and analysis of the way you approach consultancy assignments and to identify opportunities to improve your practice.
The approach taken to organisational consultancy is to look at the process in terms of four stages which it can be helpful to consider as a cycle:
- Getting in
- Getting going
- Getting on
- Getting out.
The product consultant needs a base of expertise in his or her specialist discipline. This must be developed through the consultant's specialist work and can be the Human Resources and Development (HRD) expertise developed through your studies and work experience. This workbook does not attempt to address that body of specialist expertise which you can offer a client. In addition to the subject specialism there are a range of tools and techniques that an effective consultant needs to conduct a consultancy assignment. It is these tools and techniques that the workbook addresses.
Objectives
When you have completed this section you will be able to:
- define consultancy;
- explain the growth in consultancy and identify reasons why clients use a consultant;
- outline the advantages and disadvantages of using internal and external consultants;
- describe the difference between product (or expert) consultants and process consultants;
- identify the advantages and disadvantages of different types of consultant organisations;
- list factors to consider when selecting a consultant;
- analyse the clients in a consultancy assignment.
Definitions of consultancy
Dictionary definition:
"To consult: to make oneself available to give professional advice."
Collins
Institute of Management Consultancy definition:
To provide a professional service by:
- identifying and investigating problems
- formulating recommendations for action by investigation and analysis
- discussing and agreeing with the client a course of action
- providing assistance where required to implement the recommendations.
Key features of consultancy
- The consultant provides the client organisation with professional services to assist the client to identify and deal with a problem which the client lacks the expertise to resolve.
- The consultant has influence but no authority. Whereas managers have responsibility to achieve things for their organisations through managing their staff, the consultant gets things done by influencing managers. The consultant's role is an advisory one. Where the consultant is put in to replace a manager she or he ceases to be a consultant and becomes a proxy manager. There is the danger that when the consultant leaves, the situation reverts to what it was before.
- In many organisations support staff may operate as consultants to line management without it being acknowledged by any of those involved that consultancy is taking place. Offering advice and support without taking responsibility or seeking authority demands consultancy skills.
Your teacher: Hugues Dorison
