Consulting on the Inside: An Internal Consultant's Guide to Living and Working Inside Organizations

 

 

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PROBLEM-SOLVING AND NEGOTIATION SKILLS

The most frequent reason to call upon a consultant, internal or external, is to help solve problems. Most organizations are relatively capable of maintaining the status quo on their own—often too capable. The reason to use a consultant is usually because some process or structure has broken down, is not competitive, is slowing the work of the organization, or is no longer relevant. The status quo no longer works. A problem must be solved, a solution must be implemented; changes or improvements must be made. Bring on the consultants!

The first four phases of the consulting process are largely focused on problem clarification and identification. In this chapter we will expand on how you might ...