Types of Consultants

When a consultant comes in to assist a company, he first observes the management styles that are currently in place within the company. How are decisions made within the company's management team? The consultant may take some time to meet with each person in management to gain more insight.

If it seems appropriate, the consultant may go out with company staff after work, to play pool or some other joint recreation. Sometimes it is easier to learn about people who work together in a recreational setting.

Consultants in organizational development will:

• Check Out the Company’s Methods of Communication
• Ascertain What Values are Shared by Those in the Company
• Find Out Whether Employees and Management Staff Share Belief System
• Identify Which Types of Behavior They Have in Common
• Discover Find Out What the Unwritten Rules are in This Company

Organizational development is actually applied psychology. It is imperative for this consultant to have at least a master’s degree in: social psychology, I/O psychology, or organizational psychology. It would be even better if the consultant was educated with a doctorate.

Human Resource Consultants are those who look at compensation, benefits, discrimination, and sexual harassment. These consultants are a definite complement to the development of the organization. When a human resources consultant also has legal knowledge, you have a winning combo.

Compensation consulting is a specialized field that involves a lot of knowledge about legal issues, and comparative compensation surveys. This type is utilized mostly for development and relating 360 degrees, peer, or subordinating feedback to compensation.

Finance consultants can handle organizational development although they often have little training in these areas when compared to people whose professional careers have more in-depth knowledge of finance.

Financial consultants deal with:

• Financial Systems
• Accounting
• Business Ratios
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Marketing

Consultants who look mainly at marketing issues also deal with market research. Sometimes those two areas are divided between two consultants. There is a different skill set needed for each of these areas of marketing. Project management consultants specialize in the expertise essential to manage large projects.

One way to detect when a managing consultant is proficient is by identifying the consultant’s ability to dissect a large project into smaller parts thereby simplifying the work, as necessary. A capable consultant will keep the main goal in mind while at the same time getting the business back in working order.