Consulting is, in essence, an external service that companies turn to in order to find solutions to one or more of their problems. Here is an extension of the concept based on a brief review of the literature:
Concept
Ribeiro (p.7), citing other authors, states that consulting is:
The help of an expert to solve a business problem, based on his experience, skill and trade.
The planned intervention in a company in order to identify the existing problems in your organization and to implement the measures that are considered convenient and adequate for their solution.
The service provided by an independent and qualified person or persons in the identification and investigation of problems related to policies, organization, procedures and methods; recommending appropriate measures and providing assistance in the implementation of those recommendations.
For his part, Quijano (p.49) indicates that consulting is a type of help relationship established between different actors -the consultant and the organization- based on the one hand on the knowledge, skills and actions of the consultant, and on the other hand another on knowledge, collaboration and the need of the company-client.
objective
Block (p.20) affirms that the goal or final product of any consulting activity is called intervention and that this occurs in two variants:
- At one level, an intervention is any structural, political, or procedural change in the organizational line: a new set of remunerative measures, a new information process, a new security program. The second type of intervention is the result. end by which one or many people in the organizational line have learned something new. They may have learned what norms dominate their staff meetings, what to do to keep lower-level staff in a highly dependent position in decision-making, how to engage people more directly in setting goals, or how to proceed. to improve performance appraisals.
Ribeiro (p.51) points out that consulting operates on the ability to increase organizational effectiveness.
characteristics
Garzón (p.141) states that the general guidelines of the consultancy are the following:
- It is an independent service. It is characterized by the impartiality of the consultant, which is a fundamental feature of his role. This independence means at the same time a very complex relationship with client organizations and with the people who work in them. The consultant has no direct authority to make and execute decisions. But this should not be considered a weakness if the consultant knows how to act as a promoter of change and dedicate himself to his role, without ceasing to be independent. Therefore, you must ensure maximum customer involvement in everything you do so that ultimate success is achieved through the efforts of both. It is essentially an advisory service. Consultants are not hired to run organizations or make decisions on behalf of managers in trouble. Their role is to act as advisers, with responsibility for the quality and integrity of their advice; clients assume the responsibilities resulting from the acceptance of such advice. It's not just about giving the right advice, but giving it the right way and at the right time. This is the fundamental quality of the consultant. The client, for her part, must be able to accept and use this help from the consultant. Provides professional knowledge and skills to solve practical problems. A person becomes a business consultant in the full sense of the term after having accumulated a considerable mass of knowledge about the various problems and situations that affect companies and acquired the necessary ability to identify them, find relevant information, analyze and synthesize, choose between possible solutions, communicate with people, etc. It is true that business leaders also have to possess these capabilities. What distinguishes consultants is that they go through many organizations and that the experience gained from past tasks can be applied in companies where new tasks are performed. In addition, professional consultants keep abreast of progress in methods and techniques,they signal these developments to their customers and contribute to their implementation.It does not provide miracle solutions. It would be a mistake to assume that once the consultant is hired, the difficulties disappear. Consulting is a difficult job based on the analysis of concrete facts and the search for original but feasible solutions. The determined effort of the company's management to solve its problems and the cooperation between client and consultant are at least as important to the bottom line as the quality of the consultant's advice.
Process
Although it is understood that each consulting process will be different because each client will have special requirements, Valles (p.27) proposes the following five-phase model, with its corresponding activities, as a consulting process:
- Initiation (Initial Preparation)
- First contacts with the client Preliminary diagnosis Plan the task Proposal of tasks Contract
- Discover the facts Analysis and synthesis Detailed examination of the problem
- Develop solutions Evaluate options Proposal to the client Plan the implementation of measures
- Contribute to the application Adjustment proposal Training
- Evaluation Final report Establish commitments Follow-up plans Withdrawal
Bibliography
- Block, Peter. Seamless consulting. Ediciones Granica, 1994. Garzón Castrillón, Manuel Alfonso. Organizational development and planned change. Universidad del Rosario, 2005, Quijano, Santiago. Human resources management and consulting in organizations. Icaria Editorial, 2006, Ribeiro Soriano, Domingo. Advice on business management: consulting. Ediciones Díaz de Santos, 1998 Valles Romero, José Antonio. Consulting in Logistics and Transportation. Avyasa Editores, 2008.
In the following interview, the specialist Andrés Ochoa invites you to review the concept of consulting and explains what the characteristics of a good consultant should be.
