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
 What is a Consultant?
 Someone who
provides his or
her unique
expertise to an
organization or to
someone else.
 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.
 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.
 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
 Key Consulting Skills
 Technical
– Time management
– Team work
– Software application
 Interpersonal
– Open minded
– Support
– Respect
 Consulting
– Listening
– Building Trust
– Balancing Directness
 Practical Applications
 Bain & Company seek applicants who
possess:

– Big picture thinking

– Problem solving logic
– Focus on value
– Depth and breadth- business intuition
– Results orientation
 Consulting Process
 Entry & Contracting

 Discover & Data Collection

 Feedback & Decision to Act

 Engagement & Implementation

 Recycle, Extension, & Terminate

Entry & Contracting
 Negotiating
 Coping with mixed
motivation
 Exposure and
control
 Contracting
– Triangular
– Rectangular
 Discovery &
Data Collection
 Layers of analysis
 Political climate
 Resistance to share
information
 Interview as a joint
learning event
Feedback & The
Decision To Act
 Funneling data
 Presenting data
 Managing the
feedback meeting
 Focus on here and
now
 Don’t take it
personally
 Block’s 10 Step Feedback
 Restate original  Ask client did they
contract get what they
 Structure of wanted
meeting  Decision to proceed
 Present findings  Test for client
 Present concerns-control/
recommendations commitment
 Ask for client’s  Did consultant get
reaction what they wanted?
 Give support
 Engagement &
Implementation
 Bet on engagement
over mandate and
persuasion
 Design more
participation then
presentation
 Encourage difficult
public exchange
 Change the
conversation
Recycle, Extension,
Termination
 Evaluate what
happened in
“Engagement and
Implementation”
 Decide on next step
– Recycle
– Extension
– Termination
 APIE Change Model
 Assess the need for change

 Plan the change

 Implement the change

 Evaluate the change process and results

 Consultant Roles
 Expert

 Service

 Collaborative
 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
 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

 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
 Consulting Styles
 Stabilizer

 Cheerleader

 Analyzer

 Persuader

 Pathfinder
 Ethical Issues
 Boundaries of competence

 Conflicts between ethics and company

demands

 Explaining assessment results

 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.
Q&A