DISCUSSION ANSWER

Please write a response to the discussion below with meaningful and relevant responses that add value to the discussion.

DISCUSSION BY Cicely Waters

In an ever changing business environment, one constant remains true: companies and organizations, no matter the industry, will seek ways to more efficiently reach their goals. Whether the bottom line is profit or support of people, how to get it done may require outside help in the form of consultants. 

The Eight Phase Consulting Model is one theory that breaks down the key steps to reaching a successful outcome when working with clients. If I were to serve as an outside consultant hired by my current organization, I believe the most difficult of the consulting cycle to implement would be information and assessment. Members of my organization, especially its top leadership, are always on the go or involved in critical, time-sensitive efforts that might make obtaining information from them critical. Additionally, this phase might be challenging to satisfy because the culture of my organization is not one that encourages the sharing of internal processes and procedures with outsiders. 

While implementing the information and assessment phase would be challenging, educating myself about the organization and establishing trust amongst the members I would directly interact could go a long way in helping make the implementation of this phase easier.  Critical support from the client that I would require in this phase would be for leadership to stress the importance of this initiative across the effected organization. Perhaps most importantly, the client would need to make himself or key members of his organization available to provide information when it is needed.