Nature and Demands of the Consultancy Process - Coursework Example

Consultancy Process Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Name Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Course Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Lecture Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 8th December, 2012. Nature of the Consultancy process The consultancy process has a wide range of steps but in essence the five steps are the ones that are commonly used. They include; entry, diagnosis, influencing, contracting as well as transition. In the entry stage, one is supposed to build a strong and lasting relationship with the prospective client and participate in a survey or scope so as to be aware of what the assignment entails and the objective that it aims at achieving, the time that will be spent as well as the effort that will required and all the possible difficulties and risks. The next process is the diagnosis stage and it involves the gathering of crucial information as well as ideas so as to arrive at all the possible options and plan for the most appropriate action to take. The next stage is the contracting stage and it is where one agrees with the client on what the task mainly involves, the consultant role, the client’s role and how the work will be handled (Bellman 2000). The intervention stage is the one that closely follows this third stage and it involves taking all the necessary actions so as to deliver the expected results and it may be in form of a report or at times an organization of the changes that will be implemented. The last stage is the withdrawal stage and it involves making certain that the client’s organization work on their own and also leaving the ground if in future one may need each other services. Demands of the consultancy process on the consultant The nature of the consultancy process places a number of demands of the consultancy on the consultant. One of the demands is related to specialized knowledge from the consultant. In regard to this, the consultant ought to bring to each assignment some specialized and specific talents. Through the application of his/her specialized knowledge, a consultant is able to offer a list of competent solutions which eventually leads to optimization of management effectiveness (Bellman 2002). The specialized knowledge tends to supplement the already existing abilities and at time same time offer some additional expertise opt the staff. Another demand of the process is that, the consultant ought to offer timely results. The consultant ought to offer each of the clients with an effective solution to their problems and they ought to do this within the specified time limit. It has been found out that the management is faced by pressured form their day to day activities and this usually hampers the finding of timely resolution to the exiting problems. Therefore the consultant is tasked with the duty of devoting himself and his entire energy to each of his client’s problems and obtaining the optimum resolution as well as recommendations within a short time span. In itself time seems to be a frequent justification of the assignment (Hiebert, Murray and Eilis 1999). The other demand is related to offering of practical solutions to the problems. The consultant is expected to utilize all available professionals to assist the management team in an organization in diagnosing the problems that exists and at the same time develop some vital information, recommended solutions and aid in the implementation activities that have been proposed. The consultant is therefore expected to connect the client situation with the capabilities of the business and the overall business attitude into practical means, action oriented and solution based on the obtained market and experience or based on management input (Hiebert, Murray and Eilis 1999). Another demand is that the consultant ought to deliver total objectivity and at the same time offer a list of recommendations to all the assigned duties and assignments. When it comes to objectivity it must disregard industry or personal traditions as well as attitudes so as to come up with an optimum solution to give to the management team. Therefore the consultant is expected to analyze the data obtained and the information which should also be supported by facts so as to arrive at the most profitable and economical recommendations. Two key aspects of the consultancy process that influence overall effectiveness There exits various aspects of the consultancy process that have an influence on the overall effectiveness of the process. One of the aspects is communication between the client and the consultant. Communication seems to play a vital and leading role when it comes to the consultancy process. The manner in which the two are communicating greatly affects the effectiveness of the process in that in instance where they are not understand each other the consultant may end up undertaking a role that the client did not want or misunderstanding what the client needed and hence leading to ineffectiveness of the process. Also through misunderstanding between the two conflict may arise and this will eventually lead to failure of the consultancy process. On the other hand when the two that is the consultant and the client are communicating clearly each of them will understand what the other expects form him and therefore effectiveness will be achieved (Holman, P & Devane 2001). Another aspect that afcets the effectiveness of the consultancy process is the manner in which the consultants integrates the consulting process. These will actually affect the relationship that will be developed between the future employment opportunities as well as on the effectiveness of the process. In most instances consultants describe the processes task that are mostly found in the consulting relationships for example the role of the contract, generation of data, prioritization, clarification, action as well as follow up. Other aspects that are involved relate to the interpersonal responses and approaches o certain issues. In regard to this each of them ought to have the organization in mind and they should not major their views and decisions on their own personal views and through this the process will eventually be effective (Holman & Devane 2001). Current strengths and developments needs Consulting seems to be a drastically growing industry by it’s currently dominated by home businesses. The key to been a successful consultant is to work in your area of interest and experience. One educational background and experience acts as a springboard to consulting. One of my major strength as a consultant is related to the problem solving skills. As a consultant, I am aware of the fact that the first thing in need to do is to define the problem and at time sit intends not to be what the client think it is and I then set out to assist the client ion finding the most appropriate solution for the client. Another strength that I portray is strong communication skills. As a consultant I have the ability to speak as well as present the required data and information in a precise manner, I also tend to write effectively and clearly and I also have good listening skills. This seems to be a core characteristic that all consultants should have (Block 2000). The other strength that I have is that I have the ability to market myself. Irrespective of how my consulting filed is unique, I tend to market myself to all my potential clients. Marketing seems to be an essential element of all business and most businesses which do not engage in marketing activities fails. Since I am able to make myself I tend to receive a lot clients and mostly in new and diversified fields. Thus, since I am able to market myself effectively, I am able to sell myself and eventually prosper as a consultant (Block 2000). Despite the strengths, I have in costing, I also need to improve on some aspects, and one of the major aspects to improve on is my interpersonal skills. Though this skill is termed as been the least tangible skills for a consultant it seems to be the most important one. If one is not able to build on his/her interpersonal relations with others the chances of winning and retaining customers can be null. Some of the crucial interpersonal skills that I will need to develop include; my attitude as well my behavior and also my view on how I perceive the outside world and to be more precise, how I perceive my clients since they are essential to my business. So as to succeed, I will need to establish and create a sense of credibility, confidence and a sense of trust for my clients for them to feel comfortable in sending their projects to me (Block 1996). The other aspect that I will need to develop on is on management of my own business. When starting a business one need to know certain aspects so as to be able to manage and make the business grow. Irrespective of the strengths that I have when it comes to communication, I still do not know how to run the business effectively and efficiently. In the aim of making my consulting business to last for a long time and also to ensure that it continues to generate enough income I will require some basic management skills. So as to achieve this I will attend classes and seminars that tend to address management issues and basic management skills (Block 1996). References Bellman, G 2000, The Beauty of the Beast: Breathing New Life into Organizations, SanFrancisco: Berrett-Koehler. Bellman, G 2002, The consultant’s calling: Bringing Who You Are to What You Do, New and Revised, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer. Block, P 1996, Stewardship: Choosing Service over Self Interest, San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler. Block, P 2000, Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer. Hiebert, Murray and Eilis 1999, Powerful Professionals: Getting Your Expertise Used Inside Your Organization. Calgary, Alberta, Canada: Recursion Press. Holman, P & Devane, T 2001, The Change Handbook: Group Methods for Shaping the Future. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler. Read More