Consultants - If Necessary

When executives survey their responsibilities and find situations are out of hand, they realize they need outside help. At such moments, executives become prospective clients for management consultants. There is likely no other external relationship as fraught with misunderstanding. Several important questions need to be dealt with in deciding whether outside help is really needed and if it will be timely and beneficial. A consultant's effectiveness is a function of the client's ability to define requirements and expectations, to understand results and outcomes, and to implement recommendations. The purposes for such consultations include: 1. providing requested information, 2. providing a solution to a given problem, and 3. improving organizational effectiveness. The final selection of a consultant should not be rushed since the firm may have to live a long time with that consultant and any resulting recommendations. With care, the price paid for management consulting will be reflected in the quality of the work done.