Consultancy Skills

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• appreciate how consultancy projects are sold, planned, controlled and delivered;
• critically analyse the consultancy life-cycle, including the concept of life-cycle and the stages it incorporates
• understand and develop a consultancy project plan and a proposal;
• understand the tools, skills and techniques that the consultants can draw upon in order to develop the solutions to their clients.

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• conduct independent research using a range of information sources;
• use a wide range of intellectual ideas, tools, techniques and analytical thinking to enrich your arguments;
• write well-crafted consultancy plans and proposals and present them in a well-structured manner;
• develop a number of key skills including oral and written communication, working in small groups, critical thinking, problem analysis and presentation skills.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• the major events and trends in the history of consultancy, including the basics of consulting, the growth of the profession, boom and bust of consultancy;
• the consulting industry, the consulting business model, the structure and operation of consulting firms and the consultative approach;
• the range of skills, methods and tools required to successfully engage in management consultancy.

Introducing Consultancy, the consulting market and evolution of the consultancy business

The Client - who are they, what do they need and how do consultants service them?

The consulting firm - business model & structure. Consultants - skills and lifestyle..

The consulting life-cycle

Developing consulting proposals

Consulting methods and skills and team-working

Performing consulting assignments and managing project challenges

Developing the Solution – From Problem Diagnosis to Implementation

Report writing

The future for Consulting

Assignment briefing

Teaching and learning methods

The module will be taught through a range of methods such as lectures, seminars, class discussions, guided background reading, small group work followed by group presentations and discussions, exploration of case studies/papers and videos.

Typically, you will study the module over 12 weeks with the lectures including group exercises, presentations, workshops and case studies. You will be expected to play a highly interactive part in lectures and seminars.

As with all programmes in the Faculty, student learning will also be supported by published course materials and Blackboard: the University's virtual learning environment.

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Maister, D., Green, C. and Galford, R (2001). The Trusted Advisor. New York: Touchstone.

Cockman, P., Evans, B. and Reynolds, P (1999). Consulting for Real People – a client-centred approach for change agents and leaders. McGraw Hill.

Clark, T (1995). Managing Consultants: Consultancy as the Management of Impressions. Buckingham: Open University Press.

Joe O'Mahoney and Calvert Markham (2013). Management consultancy. Oxford University Press.

Kubr, M (2002). Management Consulting: a guide to the profession, London: International Labour Office.. London: London: International Labour Office.

Peter Block (2000). Flawless Consulting. Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer Publisher.

Czerniawska, F. (1999). Management Consultancy in the 21st Century. MacMillan Publ..

Baaij, M (2014). An Introduction to Management Consultancy. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External