Bermont talks about the characteristics that a consultant must meet, some of them being having full confidence in himself, knowing how to listen and being curious to discover what is truly important (Cohen W., How to be a successful consultant).
From this premise I begin my reflection on the roles and competencies of a consultant, because for me it is interesting to discover that a person with real experience in the field of consulting may have the ability to help an entire organization find weaknesses that afflict it and that through the use of its strengths, its expertise and abilities, it manages to direct it towards the solution of the problems, thus generating a change that can be lasting and that has as a consequence a social and economic benefit for the organization itself.
According to Carlos Altschul, "consulting has a therapeutic effect" (p. 4), that is, it can read reality in another way and has a capacity for perspective.
It is important to clearly understand the meaning of some words that are used on a daily basis during a consultancy: Approach, Driver, project, intervention, felt need, distribution points, repertoire, among others. Both the consultant and the manager or the personnel designated by him, must be working in the same harmony to avoid misunderstandings and that throughout the intervention both sides are on the same frequency.
As part of the Action Research model, the need to call a third party to solve a problem is said to arise. It is then that the consultant sees the need to use procedures that provide guarantees to the client to carry out the re-education, adaptation or functional recovery of some processes in the organization. For this purpose, it is necessary that both the consultant and the client can create a friendly bond so that a relationship of cooperation and collaboration occurs.
It is important that the consultant considers everyone involved as "clients", whether they are on the management team or staff assigned by them. You should not forget that although the Director is the person who gives the last word regarding the authorization of any issue, the assigned personnel represent this figure throughout the process.
In his book, Altschul (2002), mentions that “the consultant learns by doing”, that is to say that he reflects from observations, exchange of ideas, dialogues, analysis of the consequences that result from the intervention.
Given his skills and knowledge, the consultant can intervene in different fields, for example psychology, sociology, administration and other disciplines. It must be multidisciplinary, according to Bermont (Cohen W., How to be a successful consultant). Likewise, the consultant has the obligation to learn deeply about the issues that will have to be dealt with or carried out in the consultancy as they tend to be very varied, this in order to be able to offer the help that the client is requesting.
In consulting, each person involved in the process can play a role in order to define content, prioritize and work on the level of commitment. In this way we can define some tasks that are worked together as a consultant-client:
1. Clarification
- Understand the situation Validate information between both parties Operational diagnostics Dynamic analysis Observation
2. External consultant
When the situation or problem becomes difficult, it will be necessary to include someone from outside in the process. It may be from the same organization but its action implies not getting involved.
3. You start with where you can:
Ideal, as high as possible or that those above have the commitment to solve what is below
4. Role of the instructor
- Help validate Talk and maintain dialogue Question the obvious Work as a team Conduct the project
The consultant is considered as a dialoguer, methodologist, facilitator, channel of information, among other roles, so during all phases of the change cycle he must adopt positions or roles in relation to the different options in which he may be involved.
In this sense, the consultant's work positions him as a facilitator whose main function lies in giving movement and accompanying the different activities to be carried out by the organization, which in this way, can give their maximum effort so that the objectives defined at the beginning of the process are respected and complied with.
As part of his field of action, the consultant in the role of change agent will then have to make use of tools, techniques and methodologies that, by adding to his experience and various skills and competencies, will set an example for both managers and managers. Employees take up the challenge as an opportunity for personal and professional growth within the organization, breaking paradigms and creating new ones.
Another role that the consultant usually assumes is that of coaching in order to generate empathy and commitment in both directions.
The call to a consultant is a need felt by the client and is almost always caused by a feeling of inability to resolve a specific situation, in terms of managing their administrative, productive, quality, service and other processes; and it is then that experts in certain fields can be used in order for them to diagnose and in turn can propose intervention solutions to the various problems in which the organization has been immersed.
Among the reasons William A. Cohen (How to Be a Successful Consultant, 2010) cites for hiring a consultant are:
- The need of the person or the company Company policies The need to improve sales The need for capital Government regulations Maximize efficiency and avoid waste The need to diagnose problems and find solutions The need to train employees Complete restructuring
In this sense and according to Altschul, it should be considered that the consultant is temporary and is only passing through, so it should be clear that the role he plays is a catalyst and will help the client to build a common sense or direction. Likewise, when acting under this external condition, it must be objective when facing and resolving conflictive situations that may arise in the course of change processes, both individually and when it occurs in one or more work teams.
Things change when change agents are internal, since they provide valuable and specific information at all times on specialized operational resources that can help solve problems.
The development of the different facets of the role will be subject or conditioned to the tension that exists in the organization and the availability that exists among the members of the organization to resolve them
For this purpose, the consultant must work under a ResearchAction scheme, where at least 5 stages are established:
1. The beginning of the diagnosis
2. The end of the diagnosis
3. The issuance of the forecast
4. The end of the intervention
5. End of the project
For this purpose and in order to create a link between consultant and client, the former must have certain competencies:
a) Appropriate treatment of clients
b) Observer
c) Diagnose problems
d) Ability to find and propose solutions
e) Technical and administrative knowledge
f) Assertive communication skills
g) Sell and market their skills
h) Managerial capacity
These competencies will be recognized in the insertion of the consultant in his work field, the reaction that he has in front of the first interventions, what he produces during the various mobilizations and the need to make decisions, will lead him to be successful in the interventions and implementation progress of the different projects that I start.
As the process progresses, it is logical that both the consultant and the work teams learn to agree through doing, measuring, interpreting and adjusting during any change process.
For a consultant, the first interview is considered important because it is through listening and collecting information that he will be able to understand the nature of the situation for which he has been called by the client. With this information you can imagine some ways of approach, needs and priorities. Once this interview is over, the client feels satisfied thanks to the feedback and also motivated to continue on the line set by the consultant.
From there another series of interviews will emerge that will clarify the felt needs, to finally give shape to the intervention project. It should be mentioned that in these interviews a little forecasting or the introduction of changes can be made.
According to the author, every time a project starts it is necessary to carry out reflection activities, these include meetings where each participant can think aloud, this can help to generate new ideas, to rethink some activities, to identify indicators, they can establish rules or work norms, they can agree, among other things.
Everything that is worked during these meetings must be documented: they will be working papers that will serve as evidence and records for decision-making.
In order to avoid conflicts during the intervention, it will be necessary in some cases that warrant it, to choose as the first activity dynamics for the integration of work teams, in this way future problems related to the lack of connection between members will be avoided. This task is the responsibility of the consultant, you can present it as part of the work program. Likewise, some training programs should be included, where the members strengthen their self-esteem, acquire knowledge and thus the possibility of developing in their job or to have the opportunity to aspire to another.
Some useful tools are also discussed, such as the survey, which is used to obtain information about the feelings of each person. Once the survey is applied, the results are analyzed and discussed. Personally, this type of instrument should be used with discretion and anonymously, so that employees feel confident to answer openly and without fear of retaliation from their superiors.
It should be clear what the purpose of using this type of instrument is, for example if you want to measure the organizational climate or the knowledge that each employee has about the company, for example. However, as mentioned in the book, the intentionality will depend on the degree of commitment that senior management has to generate opportunities for improvement within the organization, which allows open communication in both directions, review and be certain of the needs that the organization or some area or process suffer.
Among the benefits that can be generated as a result of the various interventions are commitment, improvements in staff attitude and even a sense of belonging if respondents feel they have been taken into account.
It is advisable for the consultant to act flexibly at each stage of the project, he cannot be static and must change his role as necessary. For this, it is your commitment to develop some skills that will be useful to be able to consider the particulars, the aspects of each organization, the number of processes, among others.
According to Dick Brodkord, the skills that a consultant must have in order to be successful, that is, to be able to modify and reinvent himself as required in each intervention, are grouped into two categories:
1. Group of the big three (generic):
- Communication skills, both in writing and verbally and behaviorally Technical mastery of a topic Getting along with others
2. Group of the big four (specific):
- Analytical ability (not necessarily quantitative) Sensitivity to others Tolerance of the lifestyle imposed by consulting Personal passion for the job to succeed
It is also suggested that consultants must first master the three great skills before developing the others.
Depending on the legitimate needs and the feasibility of each of the tasks that will be carried out in the organizations, and once the consultant and client have discussed and reached an agreement, the consultant will carry out field work and try to build a theory that allows you to infer what happens in the organization.
It should always be remembered that the consultant " IS ON THE WAY ", therefore both the client and the consultant should not lead to situations where the consultant is directly involved in a process or processes of the organization.
You must take note and record each of the achievements, failures, restructuring and problems that may occur during the intervention. Likewise, they will contribute to the clarification task since their expertise and experience can help to analyze and provide a timely response. But without its presence modifying directly or implying the performance of a task that is typical of the company.
Within his work, apart from understanding the problem, he must help the client to understand it and that from there data can be processed and strategies generated so that the change in the organization can be carried out successfully.
According to what Cohen stated in his book, How to be a Successful Consultant (2010), the Consultant's competencies and abilities should be applied fundamentally to:
• Create a climate of openness and an environment of trust and respect for the individuality of people within work teams and internal relationships.
• Help collaborators and work teams to identify obstacles that prevent the achievement of the proposed goals.
• Encourage team problem solving by analyzing their causes and generating alternative solutions, contributing their experience and the appropriate methodologies and tools for the development of the project.
• Promote and intervene in the changes that are necessary, as indicated by the analysis of problems, providing an objective view for conflict resolution
• Review the concepts and values that are at stake during the implementation of changes.
• Strengthen the capacity of collaborators and teams to identify, analyze and solve problems.
• Sensitize the team to identify the phenomena that occur in their internal dynamics and in their interaction with other groups.
• Follow up on the actions taken and committed by the team to make the changes; collaborate and support, but without occupying the role of Supervisor.
• Seek the solution of the problems step by step without violating stages and transmit this work dynamic to the collaborators and teams involved.
• Work consciously in the training and development of employees and managers in order to create their own permanent capacity for change and ensure their irreversibility.
From my point of view, the consultant must also:
1. Make managers understand that they and their collaborators have the true experience and that they are responsible for the change and its results, which they must accompany with a great leadership vocation.
2. Show that the ideas and solutions belong to the team and not their own, but acknowledge their co-participation and responsibility.
3. Always instill encouragement and transmit an entrepreneurial spirit.
In conclusion, I believe that the consultant is directly involved with the change in people and that during all the phases that are carried out in a group or individual intervention, they must adopt positions or roles that favor their work as an agent of change.
Bibliographic references:
- Altschul, C. (2002). Be passing through. Buenos Aires-Mexico-Santiago-Montevideo: Granica. Cohen, W. (2010)..: Norma.
