Process Consulting - Understanding Consulting

Process consulting is one of the most invaluable but underused services in the field of business as more and more organizations feel that they don't need a third party to solve their internal problems. This type of consulting is designed to enhanced group effectiveness, address conflict, and shorten meeting times. It aims to help teams to work together effectively so they can easily reach their pre-set goals.

Process consulting, when done correctly, can offer the following benefits to clients; better decisions, more productive but shorter meetings, increased participation or potency, and most importantly, greater satisfaction.

A process consultant does not intervene in a group in accomplishing its goals -- that is not part of his job. He is usually called in to help groups in solving their problems with their members and concentrate on how the team works.

He will come into play when there is conflict within the group that they cannot solve by themselves. An effective process consultant deeply understands conflict resolution, leadership development, and group dynamics. A process consultant is most useful during the stages of group development or when the group is either on its normative or formative stage.

When a group finds itself in conflict over values, facts, goals, and methods, the process consultant will help the group to reach a consensus over a particular conflict. This is to avoid unnecessary confrontation that can affect all the people involved.

A consultant usually does not participate in a group meeting instead, he acts as an observer. He observes group dynamics to easily figure out the various interpersonal relationships that can lead to conflict later on.

He will be allowed to participate when the group is starting to take so much time and having a hard time reaching a decision. He will ask clarifying questions and eventually, offer his feedback and observations to the group.

If you want to sink your teeth into this endeavor, these are some requirements that you need to meet. For starter, you need to have a background in small group learning and a degree in psychology. Possessing analytic skills and experience in reading body language are also helpful. It will also work to your advantage if you have relevant trainings and relevant experiences.

Although this service industry is usually being ignored by business owners, you can still succeed in this endeavor if you know how to convince those few individuals who need such services to hire you.

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Planning Consultant - Understanding the Roles of Planning Consultants

Planning consultants are those individuals who are offering their services on all matters concerning planning, development, and implementation. They are being called in these situations:

• If organizations have no or little knowledge in strategic planning.
• If organizations have urgent project and they don't have anybody within the company who can handle the job.
• If key members of the organizations are having a hard time reaching a decision on the planning stage.

Benefits of hiring a planning consultant

• A planning consultant can easily review your plan and easily identify loop holes. He can then make an assessment and expert recommendations on how you can improve your plan to easily reach your goals in no time.
• A planning consultant will bring in his experience, in-depth knowledge, and trainings that can easily fill the gaps of your action plans.
• When venturing into new markets or when selling relatively new products, a consultant can bring in his experience.

His familiarity with various business models and various marketers will surely benefit his clients.
• Consultants provide smart, timely advices that are very objective as they are not involved in the day-to-day operations of the business. As a result, they are able to analyze a business plan or decision from a position of greater objectivity. This is very important in gaining organization consensus and it allows business owners to follow the best business opportunity.
• Aside from objectivity and expertise that a planning consultant can bring, they can also help in making sure that management team and their subordinates will remain focus on their day-to-day responsibilities as they will be handling the planning and development part. This is important to maintain efficiency and productivity within the organization.

How to hire a planning consultant:

If you are a business owner and if you think you'll need the help of a planning consultant, here's what you need to do:

• Identify the list of prospective consultants. You can do your research or ask recommendations from other people who have hired consultant before.
• Request for qualifications. Contact the prospective consultants and ask them to forward their qualifications. If they have handled similar project before, the better.
• Choose the best. Consider the consultants educational background, experiences, and trainings. He must be highly recommended and he must have a proven track record in this field.
• Request for free consultations. This is just to make sure that the consultant is indeed the right fit. Ask all your questions and determine if this person can really offer you with everything that you need to reach your pre-set goals.