CHAPTER 4: PROFESSIONAL

ATTRIBUTE OF MANAGEMENT
CONSULTANTS

Reported by: John Rie M. Idong

A management consultant must possess the following broad areas of skills:

•Technical skills
These include both understanding and experience in a technical discipline –
such as information technology (IT), marketing, engineering and organizational
behavior.

•Interpersonal skills
These include personal attributes that make an individual amiable among
people and effective in accomplishing desirable objectives through people.

•Consulting process skills

These involve the ability to understand and use the following approaches in
solving business problems:

Identify the cause of problems or inefficiencies

Identify alternative solutions
Select the most desirable alternatives, and
Implement the chose solution.
Technical Skills
Education Requirements
The education required to obtain the necessary technical skills for management
consulting depends on the area of specification. Some generalizations can be made,
however, concerning the amount of education required, the common core
requirements and the experience possessed by most accountants.

1. TECHNICAL TRAINING
• Length of Education
A bachelor’s degree is prerequisite and many, if not most people going into
management consultancy today have one or two graduate degrees. Undergraduate
programs generally teach the “how” rather than the “why”. Graduate programs help
develop tolerance for the uncertainty and ambiguity inherent in business problems.

• Type of Education
Educational programs usually include a technical degree and a general degree. For
instance, a person might obtain a general degree at a bachelor’s level and specialize in
information technology after earning a master’s degree in computer science and
information management.
2. COMMON CORE REQUIREMENT

Regardless of a person’s area of specialization, the following

common core courses should be included in the educational
program.

• Communication
• Mathematics and statistics
• Computer data processing
Interpersonal skills
In addition to education and experience, several personal
attributes are critical for the success of a management
consultant. These are:

1. Intelligence or capacity for logical thinking and reasoning

2. Integrity
3. Objectivity
4. Understanding of people (human relations; empathy)
5. Judgment
6. Courage
7. Ambition
8. Psychological maturity
9. Physiological equilibrium
10. Relationship-building skills
•An ability to build rapport and trust with the client
•An ability to question effectively
•An ability to communicate ideas succinctly and precisely
•An ability to negotiate objectives and outcomes
•An ability to convince through verbal, written and visual
mediums
•An ability to use information to make a case for a particular
course of action
•An ability to develop selling strategies
•An ability to work effectively as a member of a team
•An ability to listen effectively
•An ability to demonstrate leadership
Common Barrier to Effective Communication
between the Client and the Consultant

Consultants need to be aware of specific types of barriers that may

hamper communication between him/her and the clients. Diagnostic
ability is extremely important because it allows consultants to
understand the circumstances surrounding the communication
situation and the pitfalls that may affect it.

The following are the most common barriers and the recommended
approach that may be adopted by the consultant to avoid or correct
them:

•Know-It-All-Attitude and/or prejudice of some personnel of the client

•Inability to understand technical language
•Inadequate background or knowledge
•Resistance to change
•Information overload
11. Project management skills

•An ability to define objectives and outcomes

•An ability to develop formal plans
•An ability to sequence and prioritize tasks
•An ability to manage the financial resources
that are to be invested in the consulting
project
•An ability to recognize the human expertise
necessary to deliver the project
•An ability to manage personal time
12. Analysis skills
•An ability to identify what information is available in a particular
situation
•An ability to identify hat information is needed in a particular situation
•An ability to process that information to identify the important
relationship within it.
•An ability to draw meaning from that information and use it to support
decision-making
•An ability to recognize the business’ profile of strengths, weaknesses
and capabilities
•An ability to recognize the opportunities and challenges the
environment offers the business
•An ability to assess the business’s financial situation
•An ability to evaluate the business’s markets and how they are
developing
•An ability to access the business’s internal conditions
•An ability to analyze the way in which decision-making occurs within the
business
Consulting Process Skills

Most engagement undertaken by consultants will

involve the solution of problems. Hence, the
consultant should have the ability to apply the
analytical approach and process in this problem-
solving exercise. This process consists of four areas:

•Problem definition phase

•Identification of Alternative Solutions
•Selection of the most desirable alternative
•Presentation
•Implementation phase
THANK YOU!