Discussion: View Thread

Dear Colleagues,

I was asked to run a course on "Organizational Consulting" and am seeking recommendations and suggestions for materials. The course is part of a Master programme "Organizational studies". I am not entirely happy with my current material, but have been unable to identify a more suitable text or set of resources. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am happy to post a compilation of responses back to the list.

Sincerely,

Martina

Martina,

I developed and teach the PhD course in Management Consulting, and am Chair-Elect for the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Institute</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Management Consultants USA</st1:placename></st1:place>. Here are my recommendations

Warm regards,

Drumm

********************************

Drumm McNaughton, Ph.D., CMC^®

President

5001 San Jacinto Circle E

<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Fallbrook</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">CA</st1:state> <st1:postalcode w:st="on">92028</st1:postalcode></st1:place>

(760) 723-0022 (O)

(760) 723-0023 (F)

drumm@thechangeleader.com

http://www.thechangeleader.com 

Chair-Elect, Board of Directors

<st1:placetype w:st="on">Institute</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Management</st1:placename> Consultants <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">USA</st1:place></st1:country-region>

*CMC (Certified Management Consultant) is the certification mark awarded by the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Institute</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Management Consultants USA</st1:placename></st1:place> and represents evidence of the highest standards of consulting and adherence to the ethical canons of the profession.  Fewer than 1% of all consultants have achieved this level of excellence.  See Why hire a CMC?

If you can use only one book, I recommend this one:

Kubr, M. (Ed.). (2002). Management consulting: A guide to the profession (4th ed.). <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Geneva</st1:place></st1:city>: International Labour Office. (The International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (http://www.icmci.org) uses this book as the basis for its Certified Management Consultant (CMC) mark)

Or

Greiner, L. E., & Metzger, R. O. (1982). Consulting to management: Insights to building and managing a successful practice. <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Englewood</st1:place></st1:city> Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. (This is out of print, but is excellent)

However, if you can use more than one, here are the ones that I would recommend

Block, P. (2000). Flawless consulting: A guide to getting your expertise used (2nd ed.). <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Danvers</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">MA</st1:state></st1:place>: Jossey–Bass/Pfeiffer.

Greiner, L. E., & Poulfelt, F. (2004). Handbook of management consulting: The contemporary consultant, insights from world experts. <st1:city w:st="on">Mason</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">OH</st1:state>: <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">South–Western</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">College</st1:placetype></st1:place>.

Lewin, M. (1995). The overnight consultant. <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state>: John Wiley & Sons.

Schaffer, R. H. (2002). High-impact consulting: How clients and consultants can work together to achieve extraordinary results (2nd ed.). <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:city>: Jossey–Bass.

Weiss, A. (2001). The ultimate consultant: Powerful techniques for the successful practitioner. <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:city>: Jossey–Bass/Pfeiffer.

Good optional books

Beckwith, H. (1997). Selling the invisible: A field guide to modern marketing. <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state>: Warner.

Block, P., & Markowitz, A. (Eds.). (2001). The flawless consultant fieldbook & companion: A guide to understanding your expertise. <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:city>: Jossey–Bass/Pfeiffer.

Lewin, M. (1997). The consultant's survival guide: 14 ways to sustain your business in a tight economy. <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state>: John Wiley & Sons.

Maister, D. H. (1997). True professionalism: The courage to care about your people, your clients, and your career. <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state>: Free.

Phillips, J. (2000). The consultant's scorecard: Six key performance measures for consultants. <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state>: McGraw–Hill.

Ries, A., & Trout, J. (1986). Positioning: The battle for your mind. <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state>: McGraw–Hill.

Ries, A., & Trout, J. (1994). The 22 immutable laws of marketing: Violate them at your own risk. <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state>: HarperCollins.

Schwarz, R. (2002). The skilled facilitator: A comprehensive resource for consultants, facilitators, managers, trainers, and coaches (2nd ed.). <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:city>: Jossey–Bass.

Weiss, A. (2002). How to acquire clients: Powerful techniques for the successful practitioner. <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:city>: Jossey–Bass/Pfeiffer.

Weiss, A. (2002). How to establish a unique brand in the consulting profession: Powerful techniques for the successful practitioner. <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:city>: Jossey–Bass / Pfeiffer.

Weiss, A. (1998). Million dollar consulting: The professional's guide to growing a practice. <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state>: McGraw–Hill.

Weiss, A. (2006). Million dollar consulting toolkit. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Hoboken</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">NJ</st1:state></st1:place>: John Wiley & Sons.

Weiss, A. (2002). Value–based fees: How to charge–and get–what you're worth. <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:city>: Jossey–Bass / Pfeiffer.

Survey

A. Williamson, S. A. & Buehler, M. L. (1998). The complete consultant for HR and OD professionals: Self-management assessment, worksheet, and development plan. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Burlington</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">MA</st1:state></st1:place>: Linkage.

Articles

Here are a few of the articles I recommend. If you want more, I recommend using a course pack from C2M – Consulting to Management. Contact the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Institute</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Management Consultants USA</st1:placename></st1:place> (office@imcusa.org) for more information and rates.

Allen, J. & Davis, D. (1993). Assessing some determinant effects of ethical consulting behavior: The case of personal and professional values. Journal Of Business Ethics,12(6), 449.

Block, P. (2000). Risk is where you find it. C2M: Consulting to Management, 11(3), 43.

Canback, S. (1998). The logic of management consulting (part one). Journal of Management Consulting, 10(2), 3-11.

Czander, W., Jacobsberg, L., Mersky , R. R., & Nunberg , H. (2002). Analysis of a successful consultative effort from four psychoanalytic perspectives. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 17(5), 366–380.

Gable, G. G. (1996). A multidimensional model of client success when engaging external consultants. Management Science,42(8), 1175.

Green, C. H. (2006). Create trust, gain a client. C2M: Consulting to Management, 17(2), 27–29.

McLarty. R. & Robinson, T. (1998). The practice of consultancy and a professional development strategy. Leadership & Organization Development Journal,19(5), 256–263.

Scanlan, J. (2006). The agile consultant. C2M: Consulting to Management, 17(2), 22–24.

Schein, E. H. (1990). A general philosophy of helping: Process consultation. Sloan Management Review, 31(3), 57.

Schein, E. H. (1995). Process consultation, action research, and clinical inquiry: Are they the same? Journal of Managerial Psychology, 10(6), 14.

Shapiro, E. C., Eccles, R. G., Soske, T. L. (1993). Consulting: Has the solution become part of the problem? Sloan Management Review,34(4), 89.

Shaw, P. (1997). Intervening in the shadow systems of organizations: Consulting from a complexity perspective. Journal Of Organizational Change Management,10(3), 235–250.

<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Stumpf</st1:city> , <st1:country-region w:st="on">S.A.</st1:country-region></st1:place> (1999). Phases of professional development in consulting. Career Development International,4(7), 392–399.

Turner, A. N. (1982). Consulting is more than giving advice. Harvard Business Review, 60(5), 120–129.

Turner, A. N. (1982). Consulting is more than giving advice, Harvard Business Review,60(5), 120–129.

Web Sites

www.imcusa.org

www.icmci.org

www.shrm.org

www.astd.org  

Dear Colleagues,

I was asked to run a course on "Organizational Consulting" and am seeking recommendations and suggestions for materials. The course is part of a Master programme "Organizational studies". I am not entirely happy with my current material, but have been unable to identify a more suitable text or set of resources. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am happy to post a compilation of responses back to the list.

Sincerely,

Martina