An Executive Guide to Employing Consultants

by Zackrison, Richard; Freedman, Arthur

• ISBN13: 9780566082719
• ISBN10: 0566082713
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-07-01
• Publisher: Gower Pub Co

Summary

Some 85 per cent of consulting efforts are said to fail to produce the intended, and promised, results. While incompetent, unprofessional consultants are a significant cause of this, they would not stand a chance if executives and managers had the skills to identify and avoid them in advance. As long as senior managers allow change efforts to be designed, implemented or managed by people who lack the competence, experience or commitment necessary to ensure success, this situation will continue. This book will help to ensure that this does not happen.An Executive Guide to Employing Consultants provides the tools and skills a manager needs to:- decide - in advance - on what type of consultant can best serve their interests;- establish clear criteria against which prospective consultants can be evaluated;- conduct selection interviews in a manner that maximizes the chance that selected consultants meet their agreed contractual obligations; and- effectively manage selected consultants to ensure that they deliver what is intended and expected.Simply put, the book will reduce the chances of an organization investing resources in consultants who are incapable of producing the benefits intended - and that impacts the bottom line!

Table of Contents

List of figures and tables	p. vii
Preface	p. ix
Identifying the kind of help you need
Do you really need a consultant?	p. 3
What type of consultant do you need?	p. 11
Part I checklists	p. 25
Building consultant selection criteria
Identifying professional, ethical consultants	p. 41
Consultant skills, experience and personal characteristics	p. 55
Part II checklists	p. 69
Choosing the best consultant for the job
Locating prospective consultants	p. 79
Interviewing prospective consultants	p. 89
Evaluating consultant prosposals and contracts	p. 101
Part III checklists	p. 111
Managing the consultant project
Managing and evaluating consultants	p. 133
Change management	p. 151
Part IV checklists	p. 169
Index	p. 173
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