Even though corporate clients continue to spend millions of dollars on consultant-based solutions, the success rate of these high-priced remedies is far from what it should be. No matter how wise and creative the input of a consultant, says Robert H. Schaffer, it will pay off only if the client does what is necessary to benefit from the advice. But often there's a big "implementation gap" between what client's must do to make a project succeed and what they are actually able and willing to do.
In this new and revised edition of the landmark book "High-Impact Consulting," Robert H. Schaffer reveals how senior managers unwittingly collude with their consultants to perpetuate the great waste inherent in "the five fatal flaws of conventional consulting." Drawing on his own work with companies-- Motorola, Rio Tinto, IBM, General Reinsurance Corporation, The World Bank, and other successful organizations-- Schaffer offers a field-tested approach to working with consultants that has proven to get results. He identifies the key elements of an effective project design?particularly that project objectives are defined in terms of client results rather than just consultant deliverables. The process enables clients to be certain that the work is carried out in ways that ensure success.
The author explains the importance of accomplishing results quickly and then using these "rapid-cycle wins" as vehicles for sharpening management skills, strengthening work disciplines, and introducing new technology. In addition he tells managers and consultants how they can build on these early successes and tackle larger accomplishments and organization wide improvements.
This thoroughly updatededition features valuable new insights and illustrative cases. It also includes a wealth of practical new tools that make the book a user-friendly, quick reference for both client managers and their consultants.

The purpose of this book is to investigate the innovative process in engineering of consulting firms as a knowledge-intensive service sector. Extant literature in a resource-based view of the firm calls for empirical studies to illustrate the process of how human resource systems provide organisations with a competitive advantage. The key issue is on how the different elements of human resource systems interact. The evidence unveiled in this book does just that. Likewise, it has been suggested that resource systems as a source of a competitive edge should not be viewed as a static phenomenon. Sustained competitiveness requires an organisation to constantly adjust itself according to the evolving market conditions. Such dynamic capability has been illustrated in cases within this book. On the other hand, literature on innovative studies indicates that new analytical approaches applicable to both manufacturing and service industries can be beneficial to future research in this field. The tactic adopted in this book can serve as a prelude to such an attempt.

At a time when divisiveness and racism are on the rise, the need and demand for diversity training and trainers has never been greater. The authors - with more than 25 years of combined experience in diversity and social justice work - conceived this book in response to constant requests for advice on how to get started in, and develop a career as, diversity consultants. This succinct cookbook - with the additional wisdom of fourteen well-known and respected practitioners who offer the lessons they have learned - provides the guidance to get you going and succeed. The cookbook metaphor reflects the delicate nature of diversity consulting where the little things can make a significant difference in the final outcome. As with cooking where a dash of seasoning, the choice of temperature, or cooking time, impact the final dish, so the wrong balance in creating an environment that is welcoming and constructive while addressing issues that may be disorienting for the audience can ruin a presentation before it gets started. Like a cookbook, this book is set out in small chunks. It covers the need to need to audit and enhance your skills and knowledge, establish your brand and what you distinctively bring to the table, develop your outreach and contacts, and learn to listen to clients to determine what interventions will achieve their long-term goals. It addresses the need to develop your strategic plan with a clear sense of mission, vision, and values; moves on to topics such as financial planning, pricing, contracts, scheduling, and considerations about presentation styles and handouts; and gets down to the specifics of marketing, with ideas on business cards, websites, networking, and even how to dress. For anyone contemplating embarking on a career as a diversity consultant - either part-time while holding an existing position or as a full-time endeavor, this is an invaluable guide for getting started, and for keeping at your side as you develop your practice.

Electronic Business, Knowledge Management, IT-Einf hrung: F r die Realisierung neuer Gesch ftsstrategien wird Beratungswissen immer wichtiger. Damit steigen zugleich die Anforderungen an Consultants. Dies betrifft alle Bereiche von der Strategieberatung bis hin zur Prozess- und IT-Beratung. Hierzu werden dem Leser Vorgehensweisen f r die Unternehmensanalyse und Probleml sung vermittelt. Einen weiteren Schwerpunkt des Buches bilden die Soft-Skills: Lernen Sie, wie durch effektive Kommunikation bessere Projektergebnisse erzielt werden k nnen. Berater internationaler Consultingunternehmen zeigen den Anwendungsbezug der einzelnen Qualifikationen auf. Praktikern sowie Berufseinsteigern bietet das Buch umfassendes Orientierungswissen sowie konkrete Hilfestellung f r das Erbringen professioneller Beratungsleistungen. Die zweite Auflage enth lt neben Erweiterungen ein neues Kapitel und eine Fallstudie.

As a professional, you can't just apply your expertise. You need to present solutions in a way that best suits your clients. You have to work with a wide variety of people: team members, subject matter experts, top executives, and others. Working effectively with associates--while keeping an eye on budgets, schedules, and results--requires a collaborative outlook."Successful professionals today need more than technical skills-- they need to know how to foster and nourish relationships with clients. Consultative skills are essential in this process. The tools outlined in The Consultative Approach have proved to make a difference for our professionals in dealing with their clients."
--Jon Olson, partner, Arthur Anderson
"This book is rich, not only with specific suggestions and step-by-step instructions, but also with commentary and illustrations from [the authors'] own client organizations. It is a useful book about a very important subject."
--William Bridges, president, William Bridges & Associates
Working consultatively enables you to:
* Know how to work effectively with all types of people
* Use a strategic and collaborative communcation process
* Apply your expertise in ways that show your value . . . and more!
The Consultative Approach is a how-to handbook that will enable you to reap the benefits of partnering. You'll find informative case studies, easy-to-use assessment tools, enlightening exercises, and practical worksheets. Plus, you'll get flow chart planning guides and a partnering strategy action plan that will enable you to chart your communication growth. The Consultative Approach has it all! Plot your path to consultative success withthis comprehensive guidebook.

The real-world guide to successfully funding your nonprofit program The Complete Guide to Fundraising Management is the comprehensive handbook for successful fundraising, with a practical focus that applies across the nonprofit sector. With a focus on planning, self-assessment, continual improvement, and high-payoff strategies, this book provides more than just ideas it shows you the concrete, real-world actions that make it all happen, and gives you the tools you need to bring these concepts to life. This new fourth edition features the latest information about social media campaigning, internet fundraising, crowdfunding, and more. Timelines, checklists, and forms help you streamline management tasks to focus on effective development, and updated sample reports and budget information help you begin implementing these approaches quickly. The nonprofit world is becoming increasingly competitive in terms of funding, and fundraisers are being asked to perform miracles more than ever before. This book offers a time-tested framework for fundraising success, with step-by-step guidance through the entire process from prospect to program. * Understand and apply the major principles and best practices of fundraising * Manage information, resources, development, and volunteers * Adopt new approaches to relationship-building and prospect identification * Write grants and fundraising materials that make a rock-solid case for support There is never enough funding to go around. To survive and thrive, nonprofits must revitalize interest and generate more support. Gone are the days of door-knocking and bake sales; strategy is critical, and execution must be top-notch. The Complete Guide to Fundraising Management shows you the real-world strategies that get your programs funded.

Everything you need to know about freelance fees
Do your palms get sweaty when a prospective client asks, "How much do you want for this project?" Learn the techniques presented in What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants and you'll never panic again
What to Charge takes you through the processes of setting rates, assessing fees dictated by clients, and evaluating your pricing experiences. You'll learn how to dig for information before quoting a fee. You'll examine the pros and cons of different pricing methods, such as hourly rates, project fees, and retainers. You'll discover the only two rules of pricing and why following them will guarantee you pricing success. You'll find out how to keep records that will enable you to maximize your profits on future projects. And you'll see how and when to analyze your income retroactively and to raise your rates with little effort.
With self-employment being the hottest job trend, What to Charge is essential reading and a must-have reference for all entrepreneurs. No other book provides the detailed guidance of this volume, which is now in its second edition. Here's what readers of What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants have said:
"I wish I had this book when I began freelancing."
"You've taken the guesswork out of pricing "
"This is the most logical, practical approach to pricing-and business management%u2014for the self-employed that I have ever seen."
"I've had my own business for years, and I thought I knew it all. But What to Charge gave me new insights and new approaches. As soon as I implemented one of these strategies, I recouped the cost of the book."
Lessons learned in the trenches form the basis of this book. The author, Laurie Lewis, has more than 25 years as a freelance medical writer and editor. Active in several professional associations, the author has incorporated not only her own experiences but also those of other self-employed professionals to create a model for successful pricing of consulting services.
The techniques presented in What to Charge have stood the test of time, remaining valid through the recession that occurred since the first edition was published in 2000. In fact, because the book presents strategies, it will never go out of date. Whether you're just launching a freelance business or you have many years of consulting under your belt, What to Charge is for you.

Management consultancy practice is particularly concerned with helping clients implement strategic organisational change. But what exactly are organisations, and management consultancy interventions in them? Management consulting is said to be a knowledge-intensive industry. But what kind of knowledge do management consultants possess, and how far can we rely on it? Management consultants are often criticised for unethical exploitation of their clients. But how ought management consultants to behave in order to meet acceptable ethical standards? These are questions about the philosophical topics of ontology, epistemology and ethics. The ancient Greek philosophers thought deeply about these topics, and their ideas remain fresh and relevant even to so modern a subject matter as management consulting. Writing between the end of the sixth and the end of the fourth century BCE, these philosophers were drawing upon an intellectual tradition that was very different from our own, and were responding to social and economic conditions that were wholly unlike ours. Approaching these philosophical questions from a perspective that is radically different from our own, their work provides a rich resource for novel thinking about management consulting. From the speculations of the Presocratic philosophers Heraclitus, Parmenides, Leucippus and Democritus about the nature of the universe to the thought of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle about the nature of human beings, this book uses the work of these great thinkers as a lens through which to study major philosophical questions about management consulting. Examined in this way, many established assumptions and principles of management consultancy practice seem questionable, and new ways of thinking possible.

PREPARE FOR THE PARTNERSHIPS OF THE FUTURE

This invaluable guide through the complex but highly worthwhile partnering between public and private entities in developing and constructing a wide range of building projects offers objective, comprehensive information integral to both the public and private partners. Included here is a powerful and creative five—part approach to transforming a financially unfeasible project into a project attractive to the private capital markets that covers:

• The tangible and intangible ingredients required for a successful public/private partnership
• How to customize a partnership to meet each partner’s needs, acceptable level of risk, responsibility, and economic returns
• Step—by—step guidelines on completing the developer Request for Qualification (RFQ) and the Request for Proposals (RFP) process

Including detailed descriptions of several case studies pertinent to both sides, this unique manual will be indispensable to government and university real estate officials, developers, architects, contractors, investment bankers, consultants, attorneys, engineers, and the array of other professionals involved in the public/private finance, design, development, construction, and facility management of government, university, school district, and commercial buildings.

This open access book offers four ways to enrich traditional research methods in business ethics. By looking at critical jokes and cartoons on management consultants, their business practice and their clients' demands, many ethical transgressions in business get addressed. By illustrating and criticizing such transgression, jokes can serve as an example in a theoretical argument, as a prompt to reflect on in an open interview, as a statement to assess in an enquiry or as basis for qualitative content analysis. By adding jokes to the conversation on ethical transgressions in business much depth and honesty can be added, resulting in better research data. Jokes can help to surpass social desirability bias included in answers given in traditional interview settings or enquiries. This book is of interest to consultants, researchers, educators and students in business ethics and management. The book showcases what kind of practical and ethical wisdom is embedded in business jokes and how this knowledge can be made productive in the context of business ethics.

Join the thousands of professionals who have already gotten Inside the Technical Consulting Business — and discover how to channel your technical know-how into an exciting career as an independent consultant. This Third Edition of Harvey Kaye's bestselling guide gives you the focused, no-nonsense help you need to start and run your own consulting practice in today's ultracompetitive environment. What's inside: Setting up your consulting business. The lowdown on finances, record-keeping, office space, taxes, and choosing the form of business organization that's right for you.

Insider's guide to proposals and contracts. Gives plenty of examples to use in your own consulting practice.

Marketing secrets your boss never told you. Tips on creating demand for your services and keeping your clients coming back for repeat business.

PLUS ALL-NEW MATERIAL ON:

• Creating your personal strategic marketing plan. A step-by-step guide to developing and maintaining your competitive edge.
• Learn from the pros. "Meet the Pros" interviews show how successful consultants handled some of the very problems you're likely to encounter.
• Building successful client relationships. The inside scoop on keeping clients happy while protecting your own professional interests.
• The technical challenges of consulting. A consultant's primer on problem-solving, coping with the information explosion, and organizing for maximum productivity.

Everything you ever wanted to know about consulting--a practical roadmap for aspiring entrepreneurs Seismic changes occurring in the workforce are leading to more and more people entering the world of contract, freelance, and contingency work. Rapid changes in demographics and advances in technology have led companies and talent to engage in profoundly new ways and consulting is one of the keys to success. The New Business of Consulting is authentic and practical, and shares the knowledge and skills required to start and grow a successful consulting business. From how to make a smooth career transition, to how to determine a consulting fee, to how consultants inadvertently create a bad reputation, it covers everything you need to know to thrive and flourish in this competitive field. Covers contemporary topics, such as how to achieve success in the gig economy Discloses a reliable technique to land the clients you want Presents options to help you balance your life and your business Prepares you for naming your business, managing critical financial issues, and building a client relationship Shows you how to take your income and impact beyond working as a solopreneur The crucial start-up days of a consulting business may be frenetic and fraught with questions. This new edition provides sanity and answers all the questions. It includes practical tools, templates, and checklists that you can download and implement immediately.

This is a book about gaining influence and becoming a key trusted advisor. It is for everyone who advises leaders and senior managers (accounting, finance, human resources, IT, law, marketing, public relations, security, and strategic planning) and for outside consultants in these functional staff areas. It's also for operations people yearning to finally be heard and heeded by their boss.

Follow the expert advice in this book--the fifth in The Ultimate Consultant series--and you will learn what it takes to work effectively with clients to launch and conduct projects and bring them to a successful conclusion. Alan Weiss, internationally recognized consultant and author of the best-selling Million Dollar Consulting, shows you how to form partnerships with clients who will enthusiastically assist and support the implementation of all your consulting projects.

At a time when divisiveness and racism are on the rise, the need and demand for diversity training and trainers has never been greater. The authors - with more than 25 years of combined experience in diversity and social justice work - conceived this book in response to constant requests for advice on how to get started in, and develop a career as, diversity consultants. This succinct cookbook - with the additional wisdom of fourteen well-known and respected practitioners who offer the lessons they have learned - provides the guidance to get you going and succeed. The cookbook metaphor reflects the delicate nature of diversity consulting where the little things can make a significant difference in the final outcome. As with cooking where a dash of seasoning, the choice of temperature, or cooking time, impact the final dish, so the wrong balance in creating an environment that is welcoming and constructive while addressing issues that may be disorienting for the audience can ruin a presentation before it gets started. Like a cookbook, this book is set out in small chunks. It covers the need to need to audit and enhance your skills and knowledge, establish your brand and what you distinctively bring to the table, develop your outreach and contacts, and learn to listen to clients to determine what interventions will achieve their long-term goals. It addresses the need to develop your strategic plan with a clear sense of mission, vision, and values; moves on to topics such as financial planning, pricing, contracts, scheduling, and considerations about presentation styles and handouts; and gets down to the specifics of marketing, with ideas on business cards, websites, networking, and even how to dress. For anyone contemplating embarking on a career as a diversity consultant - either part-time while holding an existing position or as a full-time endeavor, this is an invaluable guide for getting started, and for keeping at your side as you develop your practice.

The Template-based management (TBM) approach has been used since 2003 across the world in diverse contexts. It has evolved hand-in-hand with the evolution of business: Agile, Blueprints, Canvas, Design Thinking, or Kanban are only few of the many current concepts based on the approach. This book expands and upgrades the author's 2003 book 'Template-driven Consulting' (Springer) by tracing this evolution and offering the current state-of-the-art to practitioners. TBM combines structure and method: pre-structuring diverse processes, it helps to present complex activities and procedures in a simple, clear, and transparent manner and then implement them. The use of TBM ranges from conception or creative work in agencies to designing organizations and strategies, planning and monitoring initiatives and projects, to innovation management and optimizing cost structures, processes, or entire departments and divisions. The book also demonstrates how successful organizations use TBM to methodically and structurally apply the internal know-how in a cost and time-optimal way for attaining sustainable business success. Readers will learn to apply and use TBM, identify its importance, and benefit from a variety of case studies that illustrate the application and use for the entire business and management practice.

In The World's Newest Profession Christopher McKenna offers a history of management consulting in the twentieth century. Although management consulting may not yet be a recognized profession, the leading consulting firms have been advising and reshaping the largest organizations in the world since the 1920s. This groundbreaking study details how the elite consulting firms, including McKinsey & Company and Booz Allen & Hamilton, expanded after US regulatory changes during the 1930s, how they changed giant corporations, nonprofits, and the state during the 1950s, and why consultants became so influential in the global economy after 1960. As they grew in number, consultants would introduce organizations to 'corporate culture' and 'decentralization' but they faced vilification for their role in the Enron crisis and for legitimating corporate blunders. Through detailed case studies based on unprecedented access to internal files and personal interviews, The World's Newest Profession explores how management consultants came to be so influential within our culture and explains exactly what consultants really do in the global economy.

Written by a team of experts in the field of workplace diversity, The Global Diversity Desk Reference offers a strategic approach for international organizations that want to succeed in the worldwide marketplace by maximizing the potential of all their employees. You'll discover how to increase effectiveness in managing diversity at three levels--the individual, interpersonal, and organizational. You'll also get the practical tools, concrete suggestions, and pragmatic methods you need to successfully manage a global workforce and create and align organizational systems, policies, and practices with the requirements of an international workforce.

Originally published in 1970. Trade associations and consultants in their many varieties are arguably the most important of our economic organisations. The people that manage those organisations are among the most influential members of modern society. The research reported in this book constitutes one of the first attempts to obtain systematic knowledge about the process of helping management. This title will be of interest to students of business, management, and economics, as well as policy-makers concerned with external aids in government, associations, and firms.

As an experienced consultant, you'll find this unique book an invaluable aid in establishing the leverage needed to bring highly-qualified prospects and new business to your doorstep. Written by Alan Weiss--an internationally recognized expert in consulting and marketing--this essential resource, the second book in The Ultimate Consultant Series, will help you develop the skills you need to achieve valuable brand recognition quickly and effectively.
How to Establish a Unique Brand in the Consulting Profession will help you create a brand that will make you "Number One" in your particular areas of excellence, no matter how broad or narrow. And, perhaps worth the price alone, the book offers a glimpse into the important trends that are shaping the future of branding.
"Alan Weiss should be branded as The Consultant's Consultant! His new book, How to Establish a Unique Brand in the Consulting Profession, is another proof of the value of his insights into the marketing and strategy of the consulting profession. He's right on the mark in terms of what consultants typically don't do and certainly need to do to succeed."
--William C. Byham, chairman and CEO, Development Dimensions International, Inc. (DDI)

Outsourcing has become one of the key restructuring tools for companies seeking to boost their growth and business performance. As the outsourcing phenomenon has mushroomed, so a range of academic studies have sought to define and describe a unifying theoretical model. Outsourcing: Design, Process and Performance draws upon managerial, economic, sociological, historical and psychological perspectives to bring about a new understanding of how outsourcing design and the outsourcing process feed into the performance of firms. Blending empirical insights from a range of international cases and large-scale statistical tests with existing theoretical perspectives, the author argues that a negative curvilinear relationship exists between outsourcing and firm performance. A critical analysis of current outsourcing strategies, together with a discussion of future trends, offers a new agenda for academic researchers and business managers alike.