MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT COMPETENCE FRAMEWORK

Phuoc D. Nguyen

In the early stage of the life cycles of the solutions, the management consultants who are usually facing resistance to solutions accept to implement them from some members of the management and leadership team, some of them entrenched to resist solutions including changes that occur in the life cycles of the solutions.

Block (2011) classifies management consulting skills set into “Technical skills – engineering, project management, planning, marketing, manufacturing, personnel, finance, systems analysis, etc.; interpersonal skills to apply to all situations, including assertiveness, supportiveness, confrontation, listening, management style, and group process; and consulting skills (requirements of each consulting phase) – contracting, discovery, feedback, and decision.” (p. 9). Block’s (2011) consulting model uses interpersonal skills as a foundation to implement the consulting process as Block described steps in consulting skills. This model has not described in detail the necessary technical skills in business functions and business processes. Further, this model’s consulting skills are consulting process descriptions, but not consulting skills. This model’s strengths are interpersonal skills, these skills are related to professionalism and have the greatest impact on consulting effectiveness, they are important because they are soft skills that a consultant acquires through his/her background, life experience, working experience, and emotional intelligence. Technical skills are acquired from business and leadership schools and consulting processes which are acquired from consulting experience and consulting firms.

Canadian Association of Management Consultants (2008) proposes a management consultant competence framework, it classifies management consulting skill set into interpersonal competencies, including skills of listening, communication, leadership, negotiation, coaching, presentation, teamwork, facilitation, conflict management, and interviewing; personal competencies, including skills of analytical, observation, research, synthesizing, conceptual/development, problem-solving, and decision-making. This framework has soft skills such as integrity, consistency, transparency, accountability, responsibility, and reliability; this framework integrates consulting skills, technical skills, interpersonal competencies, and personal competencies throughout the consulting process, especially for ethical behavior including the code of conduct practice throughout the consulting process. Additionally, consulting competencies help clients assess their business situation, challenges, and opportunities; help clients develop strategies for improvement; and help clients implement a recommendation related to professionalism that has the greatest impact on consulting effectiveness.