Why Use Consultants and Advisers

Why Use Consultants?

 In today's intensely competitive international trading environment, the number of factors with which management must deal has increased dramatically and the speed of change is accelerating all the time.  Changes in the domestic economy, the economies and politics of other countries, social legislation and the impact of new technology all bring with them challenges and opportunities calling for knowledge and expertise, not always readily available within an organisation.  To meet these challenges and grasp the opportunities, organisations call in management consultants from time to time for specific assignments as part of normal management practice in just the same way as architects, designers and lawyers have always been engaged when the need arises.

In whatever assignment involved, the management consultant brings four resources which cannot be combined in any other manner:

Objectivity
There is no real alternative for the independent, impartial, fresh viewpoint free of personal interest, pre-conceptions or existing traditions and loyalties.
Broad Experience
Management consultants working with a wide variety of clients frequently tackle problems which confront any individual client only once in a decade or more.
Analytical Skill
Management consultants are trained in a range of analytical skills and know how to concentrate on the main problem areas and define the requirements for solution and benefits to be gained.
Full-time Attention
Consultants can devote full-time attention to the assignment free of the executive responsibilities of client managers.

              

WHEN TO USE A MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT

The need to engage a management consultant may arise where:

  • A problem is known to exist, but the organisation does not have the time, the particular experience or the staff to tackle it.
  • A problem is known to exist but neither the symptoms nor underlying cause can be determined by anyone within the organisation in a completely unbiased way.
  • The organisation has tackled the problem itself already but has not resolved it.
  • Expertise is needed to introduce new technology, new techniques and or fundamental change in the organisation's structure, nature or business direction.
  • A conflict of views on future policy exists within the organisation and an independent and skilled assessment is needed.
  • A specialist sort of experience or expertise is required which does not exist within the organisation and secondment of a management consultant for a period can help determine the type of permanent staff to be required.
  • An appraisal of proposed changes is needed to confirm and/or amend the organisation's plans and help implement them. In the smaller organisation, there is a need to import a particular type of knowledge or expertise for a period to deal with such matters as market research, product development or diversification, industrial design or engineering, etc.