Consultants and practitioners working with change can feel at a loss as to how to help their clients move forward. Organisations get stuck in routine ways even when they have innovations in mind. Consultants get stuck in familiar interventions which no longer prove stimulating or effective. Such challenges to practice can preoccupy and reinforce these stuck positions. Drawing on the authors' experiences of working with the professional development of consultants and change-agents over many years, this book provides an asset-based approach to consulting, where the resources to work at this 'stuckness' come from the way that we think about and use ourselves: our Identity and our Presence. The authors propose that developing capacities to recognise and analyse who we bring into our consulting, and how we bring ourselves is central to resource-ful practice. Without a skill-ful integration of these resources, the potential for change can be compromised. In handbook format, the book is structured in seven sections: Potential Space, Identity, Presence, Role Space, Practice, Change, and Future Developments.
Performance Consulting If organizations are to be successful they must improve individual and organizational performance in order to establish and maintain a high-performance workplace, develop intellectual capital, promote productivity, and ultimately enhance profitability. Performance Consulting reveals how to distinguish between the signs and symptoms of productivity problems from the underlying root causes and find the most ethical and cost-effective solutions to solve those problems. The book is written for performance consultants, HR professionals, and any leader who want to fulfill the role of a performance consultant in order to develop more productive workers and create a globally-competitive organization. Filled with illustrative examples from giants in the field of human performance technology, the book describes the skills needed in order to become an effective performance consultant. Step by step the author clearly shows how to uncover and deal with challenges and opportunities to improve human performance of organizations by analyzing their present and envisioning their future. The book offers vital information for examining an organization's present conditions that are associated with data collection and analysis methods. It also describes how to foresee future conditions of an organization associated with relevant sources in order to determine their future course. Performance Consulting includes guidelines for implementing performance improvement solutions, which are often identified as performance improvement interventions. The book explains which approaches can offer the solutions that are likely to be most cost-effective, timely, ethical, and socially-responsible. No matter what size your organization or your current job responsibilities, Performance Consulting offers the strategies and information needed to become a dynamic performance consultant.
This provocative volume offers an enlightening look at mental health consultation as a preventive service. To enhance the prospects of consultation being preventive, consultation is defined as an ecological enterprise. Although attention is given to outcomes, process is the key in this book. This beneficial volume presents ten valuable principles to guide the work of a consultant, plus case studies representing different topics--self-esteem of high school students in rural Oregon, child abuse prevention in a rural and urban setting in Iowa, a junior high school consolidation in Maryland, and preventive services for Lutheran congregations in Minnesota. Each of the authors of the four case examples in their actual consultation and in their descriptions of their consultation have extended and elaborated what it means to think ecologically. Following an unusual format, the comments from the recipients of the interventions described in the case studies have been included as a reminder that prevention, in its truest spirit, involves partnerships, that “subjects” or “consultees” have feelings and opinions about their participation, and that subjective data are as important as objective data.
Whether you are preparing for a management consultancy career or only want to acquire widely applicable consultancy skills, you will need a clear and concise introduction to this area. This fully updated second edition text provides you with a practical, step-by-step guide to learn the proven successful methods and techniques of the world′s leading management consultancy firms. Detailed descriptions and real-life illustrations enable you to develop consultancy skills for structured problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration and communication. Additionally, this text provides rich insights into the latest developments in the consultancy industry and their firms. It includes alumnus of a top management consultancy firm and is essential reading for aspiring consultants as well as anyone dealing with consultants in their career.
The first complete resource for graduating students and professionals seeking a position in management consulting "Consulting is all about client results. If you want to help change the strategic destiny of organizations, pursue a high-impact career, and ensure continuous learning, then Management Consulting is a must-read to help you identify the firm that best suits you!" -Thomas J. Tierney Worldwide Managing Director Bain & Company "This is the most comprehensive overview of the consulting industry to date. It is chock-full of useful information for students and professionals considering consulting as a career." -Robert F. Bonner Associate Director, Career Development & Placement The Wharton School, Graduate Division "This book is an excellent starting point for anyone contemplating a career in management consulting. My professional advice to you: Read this book!" -Wayne Cooper Publisher, Consultants News President & CEO, Kennedy Information Management consulting is one of the most popular career choices for today's graduating students and career-changing professionals. The industry is growing fast, with many more organizations in need of consulting services than ever before and an overwhelming number of candidates seeking consulting positions. Each year, tens of thousands compete for the offers that ultimately only a few thousand will receive. Facing such intense competition, applicants for these positions need all the help they can get to be competitive with their peers. Management Consulting is the first consolidated resource containing need-to-know information on every step of the management consulting job search. Seasoned consultants Sugata Biswas and Daryl Twitchell, who have worked with a wide range of industry leaders, candidates, and recruiters, have written a book that encompasses a full range of perspectives. They cover each step of the job search process in detail, providing valuable insider information on the profession, as well as tools and techniques to help you stand apart from the competition and land a job offer. The book opens with an objective, candid picture of the industry, its players, and its evolution. The authors look at the origins and development of consulting as they explain who management consultants are, what they do, and where the best opportunities can be found. Essays by leading consultants, strategic planners, and academics provide perspectives on emerging trends and the future of consulting. You'll learn what it's like to be a practicing management consultant, from the professional development opportunities to the day-to-day balancing of work and private life. The authors walk you through the steps of a typical consulting project, from the initial definition of the problem to the final presentation of recommendations. They outline what will be expected of you, the typical work hours involved, and the many benefits and drawbacks of this demanding career. A vital section of the book is the step-by-step method for successfully navigating the infamous case interview-often the "make or break" point as firms try to select the top candidates from the masses. All it takes is one abstract or technical question ("How much does a Boeing 747 jumbo jet weigh?") to knock you out of the running. The authors will teach you how to be properly prepared for these interviews as you work your way to an offer, and how to negotiate for the most attractive package. In addition, the authors provide three unique appendices that are critical to a successful consulting job search: * Appendix I-fifteen of the most common case frameworks, useful to draw upon when answering case questions * Appendix II-100 case questions and ten sample answers for interview practice * Appendix III-a directory of fifty consulting firms, including primary practice areas and recruiting contacts By giving you a firm grasp of the industry and the skills you need to master the interviews, Management Consulting is an invaluable investment for your future in this exciting and rewarding profession.
A handbook for women in all stages of life, this book consists of articles, poems, short stories and resource information covering organizations, educational and cultural programmes, publications and videos relevant to women.
Consultants are a dominant force in the business world. At their best, they can pinpoint a company's shortcomings and suggest improvements-but many executives and managers do not know how to work with consultants in the most efficient and profitable ways. Let a corporate executive-turned-advisor explain about Getting the Most Out of Your Consultant, with solid advice on how to select, hire, and build a constructive relationship with a consultant.
School counselors often struggle to feel confident in delivering effective assistance to students due to a variety of reasons that currently do not have enough research or information developed. This leads to a struggle for counselors to adequately address tough and relevant issues. With these issues remaining unaddressed, or addressed less effectively, there is a concern that school counselors cannot mitigate these issues due to not being adequately informed. This can lead to a lifetime of consequences for students. Strengthening School Counselor Advocacy and Practice for Important Populations and Difficult Topics presents emerging research that seek to answer the tough and often unaddressed questions, target present-day issues of student populations, and prepare school counselors to feel confident and competent in their counseling and advocacy practice. These chapters, using the newest information available, will address these concerns and provide the best counseling work possible for underserved populations. While covering research on counseling for students with chronic illnesses, mixed-statuses, family issues, minority students, LGBTQ+ youth, and more, this book is ideal for school counselors, counseling educators, practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, academicians, and students who are interested in school counseling and meeting the needs of diverse and important populations of students.
In Resourceful Leadership, Elizabeth A. City examines decisions about the use of three key resources--time, money, and staff--and how tradeoffs among them are integrated into school leaders' improvement strategies. She undertakes a detailed study of two small urban high schools in their first year of conversion from a large, comprehensive high school. Resourceful Leadership is divided into six chapters that present a lively and insightful analysis of school leaders' dilemmas, decisions, and tradeoffs. Woven through the book is the discussion of additional intangible but essential resources: vision, trust, ideas, energy, and hope. The book offers both the theory behind effective resource use and a practical look at the decisions, tradeoffs, and practices that support it. "The central thesis of this book," City writes, "is that resources matter for student achievement, and that school leaders can make decisions about resources that matter." Administrators from all kinds of schools--not only small ones--will find this book uniquely valuable as they seek to make strategic use of the resources available to them.
