6340 W2 Reflection

Understanding the Tenets of Consulting

1. What value can the right consultant deliver to an international firm that the company's own management could not provide for themselves?

Having a good consultant can transform an organization. The right consultant can deliver significant value to an organization. This consultant can provide various insights that the organization may need help delivering. The first insight is the external perspective. A good consultant will bring in a viewpoint that is foreign and uninfluenced by internal biases or the organization's culture (Wickham & Wilcock, 2012). This fresh perspective often leads to solving persistent problems that have yet to be overlooked or could not be solved by local teams. A good consultant also brings in network and resources. A good consultant is connected to other organizations and can use these networks to ensure the success of the organization and can bring ultimate growth to the organization (Wickham & Wilcock, 2012).

 

2. What do you think would be additional challenges in managing a multinational team for a consulting project:

There are various challenges associated with managing a multinational team for a consulting project. The first challenge would be the language barrier. There are a lot of nations in the world, each with its own language of communication. Contrary to the opinion of most Americans, English is only sometimes known. This can be a tremendous hurdle for consulting projects. Another challenge is the different working cultures. In many multinational organizations, each country features its own culture. This often results in challenges in executing a consulting project, as the consultant must navigate all the different cultures (Wickham & Wilcock, 2012).

 

3. Compare the consulting selling process to that of selling a product. What are the similarities and what are the differences? 

There are also various similarities and differences between consulting and the sale of a product. One of the similarities is that both actions require a great understanding of the client's needs (Shaw, 2020). Both processes require the participants to understand what the client requires of them. Another similarity is that they both involve the creation of relationships. For an individual to succeed in either context, they must establish relationships to guarantee success. The major difference between the two tenets is in their method of delivery. Consulting is a more interactive and collaborative process where consultants work with clients to try and bring change (Shaw, 2020). Selling a product is where a salesperson presents a product and attempts to convince a client to purchase it. There is no collaboration. Another difference is the outcome. The outcome is that consulting is often the solution to a problem or an enhancement of a process. The outcome of the sale of a product is the possession of the product by the client (Shaw, 2020).

 

References

Shaw, D. (2020). Aristotle and the management consultants: Shooting for ethical practice. Philosophy of Management, 19(1), 21-44.

Wickham, L., & Wilcock, J. (2012). Management Consulting: Delivering an Effective Project.