How consultancy is more than just giving advice? (Guest blog)

Each year, management consultancy firms around the world receive more or less $4 billion for their services. Most of the investment goes for poorly implemented recommendations and impractical data. To condense the waste, clients need a good understanding of consulting assignments that has to be accomplished. They need asking more from advisers who should learn how to satisfy ever growing expectations.

The information given here is carefully extracted after current research over effective consulting that includes interviews with globally renowned firms. If you’ve been under the impression that consulting is all about giving advice, perhaps it’s time to reconsider and check the details!

Comprehensive hierarchy of purposes

Management consulting is a pot of various activities and every firm including their members define it differently. One such way to categorise or define these activities can be through corporate strategy, human resource operations, competitive analysis or operations management. Yet another approach is viewing the process as a sequence of different steps such as entrance, establish contract, diagnose, collecting information, constructive feedback and implementation so on. Clarity on organisational goals has a certain degree of influence that leads towards ultimate success. Let’s have a look at different hierarchical steps for better understanding.

Sharing information

The very reason you might approach a consultancy firm is to obtain information and compiling it involves case and feasibility studies, attitude surveys, detail analysis of competitive structure that surrounds a particular industry or business. Company usually seek special expertise to get more accurate and updated information or else companies may find less time to develop the data internally.

Solving issues

Manager and senior staff usually give consultants a hard time due to complex issues. For instance, a client either wants to make or buy a particular component, acquire or dissociate a business niche or to change existing marketing strategy. There’re times when organisation needs to be restructured from scratch for betterment and management seek services of a consultant for that! No doubt, their duty is to provide a legitimate and feasible solution but there’s also a professional responsibility as to whether the problem can be solved exactly as the client wants or need further modification.

Consultants thus explore the scenario and are likely to ask the following questions;

- If an attempt to solve the problem has been taken in the past, what was the outcome
- Is there something the client never tried before
- Which area of business needs to be looked after most
- How to ensure the solution is for long-term

Still, consultants shouldn’t accept or reject a request too readily unless the problem has been analysed from all aspects. They should choose a wiser course of action that might solve the issue from its core so that it may not rise again. If you wish to see the best example, go for management consultancy in Dubai as some of the world’s most professional consultants are operating successfully in the city.

Clear-cut diagnosis

Experience talks; especially when running an advisory firm because only a literate veteran is able to comprehend the problem accurately and give a plausible solution. But all of this can only be achieved after diagnosing the issue and its cause which calls for a keen eye! It requires examining the internal and external environment, economy, technology and nature of work operations, behaviour and psychology of managerial and non-managerial personnel as well as vision and mission to be achieved. Both client and counsellor has to work in unison for ultimate and optimistic outcome

Conclusion

The details given above prove that consultancy is more than just giving advice and rather a service we all need especially in the rapid changing business world.

About the author

Sheharyar Ahmed is a Digital Marketer, Working with Recruitment Agency in Dubai. He writes about HR recruitment tips, leadership, HR Management and in particular UAE. He likes guitar and linux mint. Also a business coach and author of local News Paper.