Company management consulting. Management consulting - what is it? Types, principle of operation, requirements Consulting management
Management consulting is an expert assistance to management in comprehensive diagnostics and analysis of the company's activities, as well as providing practical advice in the field of optimizing and improving the efficiency of management systems, to improve the overall performance of the organization and achieve the main goals.
Tasks of management consulting
The main tasks of management consulting are the evaluation of the company's strategic plan, the determination of the correspondence between the available resources and the stated goals, the evaluation of interaction internal structures and personnel policy.
The structure of management consulting includes:
Strategic consulting
Properly lined up strategic plan allows the company to achieve its goals faster, as well as avoid many mistakes associated with underestimating competitors and inadequate analysis of the current market situation.
The need for this arises in the most different situations for example, if the company is dealing with completely new competitive challenges, a clearly articulated strategic plan is needed to attract investment, the company plans to expand or enter new markets, etc.
Operational consulting
The main goal of operational consulting is to use all the company's assets with maximum efficiency for their further transformation into goods or services with a high competitiveness.
The result of this is an increase in operating performance and a decrease in operating costs.
To achieve this goal, such measures as the restructuring of business processes, the search for the optimal structural scheme for the company, the correct organization of labor, and the elimination of losses in production processes are applied.
Marketing consulting
Main tasks marketing consulting in the context of constantly changing markets and global competition are:
1. Increasing customer satisfaction
2. Increasing employee loyalty
3. Ensuring the growth of the company's income
4. Increasing return on equity
5. Increasing the turnover of the company's assets
6. Increasing the company's flexibility and its ability to quickly respond to a changing environment.
HR consulting
HR consulting is helping the company's management to properly build the process of hiring, motivating and retaining the best employees.
HR consulting has become one of the most demanded professional services today. It helps the head of the company to find answers to questions related to the organization of the workflow of employees and their remuneration to achieve maximum productivity.
Personnel management is not only the most important part of the organization of the company's work, but also its most problematic area, since it is in it that the largest number of errors occur that can lead to loss of market share and company losses.
Depending on the political and economic conditions in which the company operates, the goals of managing its financial resources may be different. At the same time, the main goals are divided into tactical and strategic.
For tactical purposes financial management companies include: optimization of cash flows in terms of revenue and expenditure, profit maximization, risk reduction while maintaining the level of profitability, ensuring the profitability of the company's activities.
The strategic goals, in turn, include: optimization of the decision-making process in the field of financial activities, ensuring the stability of functioning in a competitive environment, eliminating large financial losses and bankruptcy, ensuring a constant balance financial resources company in its development.
Investment attractiveness is a combination of certain characteristic features companies that reflect the effectiveness of possible investments in its further development. At the same time, the main indicator is the receipt of a stable income over a long period of time.
The attractiveness of an enterprise from an investment point of view is also understood as the level of efficiency in the use of own and borrowed funds by the enterprise, its solvency and liquidity indicator.
IN contemporary practice assessment of the investment attractiveness of a company is based on a comprehensive analysis of its financial condition.
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Management consulting began to develop in the early 50s of the last century. It is from this time international organization labor began to pay considerable attention to the development of management consulting services and the dissemination of experience in the participating countries. In Russia, the starting point for the development of consulting is considered to be the 90s, when the emergence and development of private business began.
Fundamentals of Management Consulting
According to the European Federation of Economics and Management Consultants, management consulting is the provision of independent advice and assistance on management issues, which may include identifying and assessing problems and opportunities, developing recommendations for taking appropriate measures and assisting in their implementation. The main goal of management consulting is to increase the efficiency of the company and identify factors that prevent this. The quality of the solution to the problem should be as high as possible, subject to time and financial constraints. It is necessary not only to develop ways to improve the existing situation, but also to show possible ways independent solution of similar problems in the future, that is, to develop the client's skills of analysis, evaluation and effective action.
The degree of involvement of the client in the process depends on the type of service, but if the client does not take any part at all, the effectiveness of the consultant's work will be minimal.
In the process of achieving main goal a number of tasks can be solved in various directions, respectively, according to the types of tasks, management consulting can be conditionally divided into four main groups.
- Strategic consulting. Development of strategies to achieve long-term and short-term goals and detailed plans for their implementation. Strategic consulting helps build an effective business model.
- Marketing consulting. Research and Development marketing strategy companies.
- HR consulting. Activity analysis management personnel, including certification and development of recommendations based on the results of its implementation. Development of personnel motivation systems and their implementation.
- Building a management system in a company- analysis and optimization of systems management accounting: distribution of powers, functions, responsibilities, creation of a system of business processes and a system of forecasting and information exchange, building an optimal structural and functional scheme of an organization.
The main principles of management consulting as a service are competence, specificity, consistency, creativity and efficiency.
The main regulatory documents in the field of management consulting are:
- the Constitution of the Russian Federation (Articles 8 and 74);
- Civil Code of the Russian Federation (Article 128 and Chapter 39);
- Federal Law of the Russian Federation of July 27, 2006 No. 149-FZ “On Information, information technology and on the protection of information”;
- Federal Law of the Russian Federation of July 27, 2006 No. 152-FZ "On Personal Data";
- Federal Law of the Russian Federation of December 30, 2008 No. 307-FZ "On Auditing".
On a note
Unfortunately, in Russia there is still no separate law that defines the concepts, essence, principles of consulting and the responsibility of consultants.
Reasons for ordering management consulting services
Most often, managers of companies turn to management consulting specialists for help in crisis situations, when not only a successful future, but also the existence of the company as a whole depends on the further development strategy. According to the consultants themselves, two categories of companies need management consulting services the most:
- Stable companies reforming. This may be an expansion, a change in the type of activity or form of ownership, a merger with another company. In order for changes to occur without harm to the company, consultation with specialists will be required. For example, the services of a consultant are often used by firms moving from the status of "family" to the category of medium and large, with the number of employees from 500 to 1000 people.
- Large companies whose owners want to receive objective information about the state of affairs in order to move from current operational management to strategy management. The task of the consultant is to make this process as transparent and painless as possible, completely eliminating the possibility of losing business.
However, there are other situations where management consulting can bring tangible benefits:
- The need to automate business processes. Usually in this situation, a preliminary survey of the enterprise and the identification of the need for reorganization are always carried out.
- Finding new ways to compete by building a new marketing policy.
- The desire to ensure the reliability and security of the company's development and strengthening its reputation in the eyes of partners and customers.
The results that the company receives from management consulting can be divided into several groups: direct and indirect, quantitative and qualitative. (see Table 1).
Table 1. Results of management consulting
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RESULTS |
Direct |
Indirect |
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quantitative |
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quality |
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As an example, we can cite a situation from the practice of the KSK group company.
Young construction company working on major project worth 30 million rubles, ordered a management consulting service. During the implementation of this project, problems constantly arose, resulting in the risk of missed deadlines and receiving a large fine from the customer. During the consulting process, it was revealed that the company lacks a well-defined organizational structure.
The operational and control functions were separated, which allowed the owner to get an objective opinion on the state of affairs and make the right management decision. The main departments of the company were also identified and the areas of responsibility of each of them were formulated. Prepared for the client phased plan implementation of all changes. This solution helped implement an important project for the client, avoided a contract fine of 2.4 million rubles, and provided the company with the opportunity to develop and increase the scope of work. The cost of implementing the project of KSK groups amounted to 1 million rubles, ROI (Return On Investment, "return on investment") - 140%.
Management consulting technologies
In modern management consulting, three main approaches are usually distinguished:
- Expert approach. It consists in studying the existing company management structure, identifying its features and problem areas, developing expert recommendations and putting them into practice. At the same time, the expert’s opinion is practically not discussed, he independently makes all decisions, and the client’s duty is only to ensure necessary conditions to work as a consultant. Expert advice can be carried out in several forms - advice (recommendation), a client's question - the consultant's answer, a written report (draft, analytical note), express analysis, in-depth analysis. At the same time, the effectiveness of expert advice directly depends on the level of competence of the expert himself, his professionalism and understanding by the client of the proposed recommendations, combined with the willingness and ability to implement them. An expert approach is advisable to apply in cases where the problem is not related to specific circumstances in the client's company, there is no need for in-depth diagnostics. In this case, the client needs the help of an expert offering a ready-made standard solution or gaining knowledge on standard procedures, norms and regulations.
On a note
There are no experts who are objective and 100% competent. Each of the experts will conclude their personal experience, attitude to the client, his understanding of the task and vision of the situation.
- Project approach. This approach is targeted and represents the creation and development of specific projects in a particular area of the company. It allows you to focus all resources on solving problems in one direction, carry out targeted consulting, plan the desired results and ensure their achievement. Stages of project consulting:
- drawing up a task for the project;
- stage-by-stage preparation of the project with the participation of the client's specialists and stage-by-stage delivery;
- providing consultations necessary for the implementation of the project;
- participation of the consultant in the implementation of the project to the extent determined by the client.
- Process approach does not imply ready solution Problems. The consultant in this case helps the client to develop his own way of solving the problem, using various techniques. The process method requires the active participation of the client, and the consultation itself is seen as a process consisting of certain actions, using certain technologies, tools and methods. Consulting takes into account the specifics of the company as much as possible and is aimed at carrying out systemic changes in it. During process consulting, methods aimed at maximizing interaction with the client are used: organizational diagnostics and organizational intervention. Diagnostics is aimed at collecting information about the state of the company by monitoring the activities from the inside, conducting individual and group surveys, and studying documents. The result of the diagnostics is a report. Organizational interventions are associated with the impact on the company, in order to make the necessary changes in its activities and consolidate them. The most important condition for effective process consulting is the willingness of the people participating in it to actively interact with the consultant, analyzing problems and developing solutions.
In some cases, management consulting requires a combination of all three approaches to achieve the desired result.
Consulting Methods
There are a great many methods of management consulting, the most popular (if not traditional) of which in Russia are SWOT analysis and business coaching.
The abbreviation SWOT fully reflects the very essence of the analysis (see Fig.):
S- force ( strength);
W- weakness ( weakness);
O- possibilities ( opportunites);
T- Problems ( troubles).
Rice. SWOT analysis model
SWOT analysis helps answer the following questions:
- Does the company use in its strategy strengths or distinctive advantages? If the company does not have such advantages, then what of its strengths could be?
- Are the company's weaknesses its most vulnerable points in competition? It is they who do not allow the use of any favorable circumstances? What are the weaknesses in without fail require adjustments in terms of strategy?
- What favorable opportunities can give the company a chance to develop successfully using its current access to resources and the current level of skills of employees?
There are three methods of SWOT analysis:
- Express SWOT- the most common type that helps to identify the strengths of the company. It is these parties indicated in the analysis, in combination with external capabilities, that are able to counteract threats. In addition, SWOT analysis also reveals weaknesses.
- Consolidated SWOT analysis provides information about quantification factors identified by other methods, as well as develop a strategy and activities to achieve strategic goals.
- Mixed SWOT Analysis is a combination of the two previous types.
SWOT analysis can be used to analyze the factors of the competitive environment, plan and implement company strategies, and competitive intelligence. Its advantages include ease of implementation and efficiency of use, identification of links between the company's capabilities and real existing problems, between strengths and weaknesses, no need for extensive information for calculations, determining the future prospects for the company's activities, the ability to evaluate profitability indicators.
The shortcomings of the SWOT analysis include the lack of temporal dynamics and quantitative and evaluative indicators in it.
Business coaching
The word coaching comes from in English like "training" or "training". Business coaching is a technique individual work with clients aimed at joint search ways to solve a problem, developing the ability to see these ways, make informed decisions and take responsibility for them. With the help of coaching, the customer gets the opportunity to reach a new level of understanding of business processes in his company, formulate a development strategy and ways to achieve strategic goals.
As part of business coaching, several methods can be used:
- Methods of testing, training and conducting business games. According to experts, the information received remains in memory for a long time if all channels of information transmission are used and practical lessons, allowing in the game situation to check various options solve customer problems and choose the best one.
- Activation Methods creative thinking . These include brainstorming, the Delphi method (used if the group gathering is not possible and consists in the anonymous collection of individual opinions), the method expert assessments, the goal tree method, and scenarios, which are logical descriptions of possible events, taking into account various factors.
- Neuro Linguistic Programming Method.
- Nominal groups method. It is used in cases where it is necessary to identify and compare several individual opinions in order to get a decision that one person cannot make in a short time.
- Methods of organizational self-diagnosis. With their help, employees of the company can independently establish signs that characterize the state of the organization. Self-diagnosis leads to self-analysis of the participants and contributes to their self-development.
Business coaching professionals can use a combination of several methods to produce the most effective results. Coaching brings positive results if it is used for those employees of the company who, by their nature of activity, are required to make independent decisions, but at the same time have teamwork skills.
Service delivery stages
The management consulting process includes several stages (see Table 2). The very first step towards the implementation of a consulting project is the realization by the client that he has a problem that he would like to solve with the help of consultants.
Table 2. Stages and stages of the counseling process
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Stages and stages |
Procedures |
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Preparation |
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Completion |
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The implementation of a project within the framework of management consulting can last from several days to several months - depending on the size of the company and the complexity of the task.
How to choose a consulting company?
With this question, we turned to Denis Predein, head of the Management Consulting practice at KSK Group:
“If there is a need to involve a consulting agency, pay attention to several important factors. Of course, this is the experience of the company, the staff of experts, the presence of publications in the professional press, the list of clients ... But the most important criterion choice in attracting business consultants is their ability to succinctly and clearly express their thoughts, awaken in the client fresh ideas identify viable goals and justify ways to achieve them.
Many managers and some consultants are unable to answer a simple question: "What is strategic consulting?". Often, this service means multi-page analytical reports filed in a folder, endless SWOT analyzes, alternative business strategies ... At the same time, strategic consulting is expert assistance to management in finding answers to two questions:
- What is the goal for the business?
- How to reach this goal?
The answers to them allow us to get out of the "fog" into which managers often wander in crisis situations, being under the yoke of solving tactical problems. The answers to them allow you to abstract from everyday business fuss and see what is called the light at the end of the tunnel - clearly articulated, achievable, measurable in time and in financial indicators target. Answers to them allow you to focus on specific means and stages of achieving the goal. Approved action plan depending on specific task can be "titled" as "2x company value in 3 years", "Reduction of production costs by 15% in 3 years" or "Growth net profit by 5% annually for 5 years. To solve such problems, there are KSK groups.
For more than 20 years of management consulting, we have hundreds of successfully completed projects of varying complexity and industry focus, being one of the leaders in Russia in strategic, tax and legal consulting (according to the Expert RA rating agency for 2015). And by the way, with us you can get an initial consultation absolutely free of charge.
P.S.- authoritative, dynamically developing consulting company, consistently included in the top 10 largest agencies in Russia in the areas of strategic planning, organizational development and personnel management (according to the rating agency "Expert RA" for 2015). The company currently employs 350 industry specialists. The client pool is about 1000 firms.
Editorial opinion
The services of professional consultants are vital for an enterprise, not only in crisis situations. “Outside view” allows you to assess the problems, risks and opportunities of the company from a different angle. Independent expert opinion, recommendations for taking appropriate measures and assistance in their implementation can significantly increase business efficiency.
Types of management consulting
In the process of management consulting, a wide range of tasks can be solved. According to the types of tasks to be solved, management consulting can be (rather conditionally) divided into:
- strategic consulting, during which the analysis of the global and regional market of raw materials and finished products, analysis of competitors, dynamics of production and consumption, the evolution of technologies is considered, an effective business model is built, logistics is calculated;
- marketing consulting, during which an effective marketing strategy is built, a company's marketing program is developed, a marketing system is built as a technology for managing the market behavior of potential and actual buyers;
- building an effective management system (distribution of functions, powers, responsibilities, financial incentives, building a system of business processes, optimal system information exchange and workflow, the introduction of a system for forecasting, planning and analysis of activities, the construction of an optimal structural and functional scheme);
- personnel consulting (recruitment), building and developing a corporate culture (configuring a system of non-material incentives, bringing meaning to the collective activities of company employees).
Strategic consulting
This is a basic type of management consulting, which is a vision and a general description of the business model, its advantages and disadvantages in comparison with its main competitors, the study of the market situation, trends in the production and consumption of raw materials and finished products in the global and regional markets. In fact, the strategy is the basic self-determination of the company, from which the goals, the conditions for their achievement and the means that the company must use to achieve this directly follow.
Marketing consulting
Each company seeks to manage the market behavior of its potential and current customers, giving them many reasons to choose this particular company right now and specifically for the purchase of this product (service). Managing the market behavior of potential and current customers of the company is a fairly complex task. It can be solved only by introducing the function of system marketing into the company's activities, which is the introduction of marketing meaning into every contact with a potential client and into the very system of providing services and selling goods.
Building an effective management system (Operational consulting)
Designing and implementing an effective management system includes thinking through the formula for business efficiency (a system of indicators, indicators, on the basis of which you can evaluate the state of the business). Also, an effective management system implies the presence of an optimal system for the distribution of functions, powers, responsibilities, as well as a built system of personnel motivation. In the course of management consulting, the system of business processes is optimized, as well as the structural and functional diagram, information exchange and document flow between the departments of the consulted enterprise are streamlined.
HR consulting. Development of corporate culture
In the course of personnel consulting, personnel are selected who can organically complement each other in their own way. business qualities, there is a selection of top managers, the correct distribution of functions and powers between them, a team of people is formed who are ready to work together within the framework of their business project.
In the course of the formation and development of a corporate culture, management consultants form a system of motivational and semantic attitudes that begin to play the role of internal norms in the company that determine the activities of employees and give employees value and normative guidelines when making decisions.
Management consulting approaches
In the process of working with specialists and managers of the consulted organization, management consultants use two fundamentally different approaches: advisory and social engineering.
The social engineering approach involves the use of social technologies, the essence of which is to involve managers and specialists of the consulted company in the consulting process, in designing the future structure of the company, its management system, structural and functional diagram, business process system, etc. Involvement of company personnel in the process of shaping the future allows solving many problems related to the loyalty of employees to the proposed changes. Employees who have taken part in shaping the future of their company willingly accept the need for change, and actively participate in shaping new system management.
At the same time, it is possible to resolve the most acute and fundamental positional conflicts just at the stage of a consulting project, even before the start of implementation. Thus, the use of social technologies significantly increases the implementation of consultants' recommendations. Social technologies are ways of forming teams of performers and managers who can carry out collective activities with a predetermined level of efficiency. One form of social technology is reflective play.
In solving current work tasks, the status of an adviser can be limited or absolute: from analyzing the causes and finding solutions to the ability to influence the decision or participate in its adoption and implementation.
It may be charged with reviewing the situation as a whole or developing a detailed, specific, measurable, agreed, realistic and time-bound plan of action. Sometimes the situation may require the consultant to be personally present directly on the site, for example, when negotiating and concluding an agreement. With direct presence at the facility, the situation is studied on site using "live simulation" and multi-day strategic sessions, during which the development and implementation of management decisions takes place in direct interaction with the company's personnel. The formation of a change project in this format automatically contributes to its implementation and optimization.
Services of management consultants
Working with companies (business structures)
- Improving business efficiency, management systems, management teams and specialists.
- Ensuring effective mergers, acquisitions, restructurings.
- Analysis of the current business model and its optimization.
- Building a financial business model and training top managers to use this model to predict the company's performance.
- Creation and development of corporate culture, personnel motivation system.
- Formation of a team to implement a business model (for new business projects).
- Formation or development of a system of business processes, information exchange and document management systems.
- Formation of the marketing system function and its integration into the collective activity of the company.
- Improving the efficiency of the company's top management, enriching the arsenal of management tools.
- Formation of long-range, middle and near horizons of the company's development, modeling of a multi-variant future, choice of direction and route of development.
Working with megasystems
- Development of a strategy for the socio-economic development of the city, region, region.
- Development of an industry development strategy.
- Calculation of the multiplier effect of innovations and building a model of the mutual influence of economic sectors on each other and on the main indicators of socio-economic development.
- Solving strategic tasks related to managing the development of the economy of a country, region, region, for example:
- improving the efficiency of managing state assets in the economy;
- increasing the attractiveness of the region for tourism;
- development and support of the implementation of the concept of a free economic zone;
- development and support of the implementation of the business incubator concept;
- development and support of the implementation of the technology park concept;
- development and support of the implementation of the concept of development of the education system;
- increasing the efficiency of state administrations in the development of the region, region, city;
- increasing the efficiency of ministries and departments in the implementation of various strategic programs.
Literature
- Ansoff I. Strategic management. - M.: Economics, 1989. - 519 p.
- Ansoff I. New corporate strategy. - St. Petersburg: Peter Kom, 1999. - 416 p.
- Ackoff R., Emery F. On Purposeful Systems. - M.: Soviet radio, 1974. - 270 p.
- Ackoff R. Planning the future of the corporation. - M.: Progress, 1985. - 326 p.
- Gumerov Sh. A. System analysis of the mechanism of change social organization. - M., 1973.
- Zdravomyslov A. G. Sociology of conflict. - M.: Aspect Press, 1996. - 317 p.
- Lefebvre V. A. On self-organizing and self-reflexive systems and their study // Collection "Problems of the study of systems and structures". - M., 1965.
- Milner B. Z. Theory of organization. - M.: Infra-M, 2001. - 480 p.
- Shokhov AS Social technology of living modeling in the study and consulting of organizations. Diss. - Ufa, 2009.
Links
- Shokhov AS Modern approaches to strategic consulting.
- The World Council of Management Consulting Institutes and its members administer the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI) Certified Management Consultant (CMC) certification program.
- Reut Dmitry Vasilievich
- Consulting- Web article about consulting
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .
Books
- Management consulting. Guide to the Professional Services Market, Petr Shura. The guide to management consulting is intended for owners and top managers of enterprises interested in developing a business in the face of a lack of their own resources. Book…
Management consulting today is able to solve a number of issues, in particular, to bring the company out of a crisis situation. Most entrepreneurs hit a dead end on the way to becoming a business, facing all sorts of problems. A consultant of a consulting firm is able to solve all issues and take the company to a new level. What is his work, how to choose a competent expert, and in what situations it is really worth asking for help, we will consider in this article.
What it is
The owner of even the smallest company often faces a number of questions about doing business that he cannot find the answer to on his own.
In such a situation, the help of a professional is urgently needed, moreover, an outside view will help improve existing approaches, and contribute to an increase in the efficiency of the enterprise.
Since it is very expensive to keep experts on a permanent basis, you can contact a specialist for periodic advice on critical issues regarding business. And here we inevitably encounter the consulting industry. So what is consulting?
is the process of advising entrepreneurs on the most important issues of doing business: financial, managerial, legal, etc. In other words, an expert is able to give a critical assessment, identify errors, recommend certain actions that can lead to increased efficiency, such as the work of a manager, management personnel, and the company as a whole.
Today we will take a closer look at management consulting as one of the priority areas of this industry.
Management consulting is a set of actions aimed at increasing the growth of indicators of a particular enterprise and its stabilization in the market.
If the company has a number of problems, and the process of its development has come to a standstill, the indicators have taken a static position, then it is simply necessary to enlist the support of an expert. Company leaders, based on the recommendations of experts, can completely change strategic planning, apply new management methods, replace personnel and completely change its course.
How it works
Those entrepreneurs who have not yet encountered the services of consulting companies do not really understand what they are. Experts themselves often draw a parallel with a person's visit to the doctor. You talk about what worries you, what are the symptoms, and the doctor, based on what he saw, makes a conclusion about the presence of a particular disease. Management consulting operates according to a similar scheme, and is often able to raise a loss-making enterprise from its knees.
However, it should be understood that consulting companies are not responsible for the result, and cannot give a 100% guarantee. Their activities are advisory in nature.
What problems can management consulting solve?
- Improving the efficiency of the people managing the company;
- Analysis actual problems society, and their correlation with the activities of the company;
- Formation of new methods of company management;
- Providing assistance to the client in resolving issues related to the external orientation of the company and the internal charter;
- Assistance in the formation of a new more effective strategy companies.
First of all, management consulting helps management and managers to understand the accumulated issues and improve their skills.
In addition, experts suggest ways to resolve issues within a single team, improve interaction between its members. The use of consulting in doing business can increase income and optimize existing costs.
Kinds
Management consulting has two main approaches - project and process. Each of the approaches has its positive and negative sides, and is applicable to a particular company.
According to the project type of management consulting, experts almost immediately can offer the head of the company a way out of the current situation. It is formed on the basis of experience accumulated over the years, and is suitable for those managers who are looking for operational ways to solve problems. Project type is based on the problem-solution thesis, but it is often able to solve superficial, cause-and-effect questions, rather than deep problems. It is best suited for solving local problems, which in this moment interfere with the company's plans.
The process type of counseling is deeper; it does not imply a lightning-fast solution to the problem. The consultant of a consulting firm does not give advice based on his practice, for each client his own special approach is selected. Strategic planning is being created, during which it is recommended to apply a variety of techniques. This type of counseling requires effort, both from the expert and from the client, respectively, it takes more time.
The only disadvantage of the process type of counseling is not quite the expected result, sometimes it can lead to a stupor. But, it also has many advantages: a phased analysis of the company's activities is carried out, with the solution of diverse problems. The method is suitable for those organizations that are experiencing a period of crisis, faced with systemic problems, cannot reach the proper level of profit, etc.
Management consulting can be divided into several types:
- Strategic consulting. It concerns the analysis of the company's position in the market, taking into account its competitiveness and specifics. Experts help build an effective business model and calculate everything possible risks;
- Marketing consulting. Specialists deal with the promotion of the company on the market, as well as the analysis of the target audience;
- HR consulting. Selection of qualified personnel, improvement of skills and formation of corporate ethics;
- Design management system. Optimization of workflow, distribution of responsibilities, planning of the company's activities.
Today, there are many approaches to management consulting, each of which is able to perform different tasks.
What is it for
It is proved that the help of experts in consulting activities is most often turned to during a crisis period. At a time when the market is experiencing a serious shake-up from fluctuations in oil prices, the instability of the dollar and the geopolitical situation in the world, consulting firms are able to come to the aid of businessmen who are afraid of losing their funds.
In addition, situations often arise when a new manager appears at the helm of the company. He wants to have a complete picture of the affairs, and also often changes the vector of the company, trying to increase its efficiency.
Management consulting is also necessary for an organization that wants to enter new markets, expand the field of activity. In general, consultants can not only solve global problems, but also to improve the climate within the team, to outline new levers for managing the company.
Search for a consulting company
As valuable as an experienced consulting professional is, it is just as difficult to find one. There are a lot of consulting firms today, however, it is sometimes difficult to judge their effectiveness. So that you do not make a mistake in your choice, you must follow several basic criteria:
- Specialists should familiarize new clients with previously completed tasks, for this it is necessary to view the company's transaction history, analyze which organizations have asked for help, what feedback clients have left;
- You can get acquainted with the ratings of consulting firms, and use the services of the best of the best;
- Always specify what staff the company has, in what directions it works, and when it was created. It is necessary to immediately clarify what place management consulting occupies in the affairs of the company, and what are its successes in this industry;
- Pay attention to the cost of expert services, too low price may indicate that you have an incompetent organization in front of you.
Considering simple rules selection of a consulting firm, the client will be able to easily weed out incompetent organizations and enlist the help of professionals in their field.
Requirements
Since management consulting deals with a number of serious business issues, it is necessary that the selected specialists meet special requirements:
- The consultant must possess all the skills that help formulate an organizational diagnosis, identify the vector of strategic planning, analyze the company's position in the market, and also conduct diagnostics management structures;
- The organization must be completely independent from other commercial structures, and act purely objectively, in the interests of the client who applied for help;
- This structure should be exclusively external in relation to a particular organization;
- The consulting company must have experience working with similar organizations;
- Experts must be able to guide and educate the client.
If all the requirements are met, you have a truly competent organization that can give effective evaluation and help.
Differences
In recent years, the field of business coaching has experienced an unprecedented rise.
Many businessmen strive to get into trainings and learn useful lessons in building a business. Many people begin to confuse the concepts of "management consulting" and "business coaching", so further we will give comparison table activities of coaches and consultants, so that you can clearly see what their purpose is.
Consulting Expert:
- Engaged in the study of the affairs of the company, analysis of its activities, only after that starts working with leaders and managers;
- All recommendations are individual in nature and refer to a specific organization;
- Constantly interacts with the client, gives a lot of practical advice;
- Realistically evaluates the chances of the company, often applying a critical analysis of its activities, aimed at identifying errors and miscalculations;
- The expert helps to find a way to solve the problem, and prescribes the direction of the organization's future activities.
Business coach:
- Does not conduct any analysis, gets acquainted with the company solely on the basis of the client's words;
- The recommendations are for guidance only and are applicable to most customers;
- A business coach does not give specific advice, he asks many leading questions that the client himself must answer;
- Business coaching is formed in a positive way, and regards each manager as a person who is able to lead the company to success;
- The coach does not give specific advice, and does not answer the questions posed. His task: to direct management to solve all problems, to reveal the potential of the company.
As can be seen from the comparative table, a consulting expert performs more global tasks and conducts a deep analysis of the activities of a particular company. Coaching, on the other hand, directs, makes you answer all questions on your own and think more positively. Coaching is rather informative, while management consulting is really looking for ways to solve problems.
Advantages and disadvantages
Why is management consulting today at the peak of popularity, and what are its positive aspects?
- In-house specialists of the company do not have such global knowledge as consulting experts;
- Consultants have experience behind them, and are able to find a single right solution without hesitation;
- Consultants approach the problem in detail and conduct analysis;
- The expert is not tied to anyone's opinion, and gives an objective assessment of what is happening in the company.
Negative sides:
- The expert gives an independent opinion, and he cannot guarantee a 100% result;
- If the expert applies the project type of consulting, then it is possible to eliminate not the cause, but the consequences of the negative work of the company.
In general, management consulting has more positive aspects, and the manager is able to effectively review the company's policy, and find leverage to eliminate shortcomings.
- The consultant must inspire confidence, and act according to the principle: "your problem is my problem." If you doubt the competence of an expert, request all data on his education and work experience;
- When a head of an enterprise contacts a consulting company, this does not mean that his communication with experts should not concern the rest of the staff. On the contrary, successful interaction of a manager, managers and experts gives the best result;
- Consulting is able to solve even specific issues in the field of ecology, the public sector, telecommunications, etc. Therefore, a consulting expert can be useful in absolutely different issues.
Conclusion
Management consulting is a set of measures aimed at increasing the growth of the company's performance. Experts are able to develop a strategy for the development of the company, as well as identify systemic errors and ways to solve them. The consultant will help to get out of the crisis situation, and is able to help the leader and management to improve managerial skills.
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