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A consultant (from la, consultare "to deliberate") is a
professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...
(also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice and other purposeful activities in an area of specialization. Consulting services generally fall under the domain of professional services, as
contingent work Contingent work, casual work, or contract work, is an employment relationship with limited job security, payment on a piece work basis, typically part-time (typically with variable hours) that is considered non-permanent. Although there is less ...
. A consultant is employed or involved in giving professional advice to the public or to those practicing the profession.


Definition and distinction

The
Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...
provides a more specific definition of a consultant as someone who advises on "how to modify, proceed in, or streamline a given process within a specialized field". In his book, ''The Consulting Bible'', Alan Weiss defines that "When we onsultantswalk away from a client, the client's conditions should be better than it was before we arrived or we've failed." There is no legal protection given to the job title 'consultant'.Consultancy.uk
What is a consultant?
accessed 29 June 2021


Subject-matter expert (SME) vs. consultant

According to ''Institute of Management Consultants USA,'' "The value of a consultant
staffing_ ''Staffing''_is_the_process_of_finding_the_right_worker_with_appropriate_qualifications_or_experience_and__recruiting_them_to_fill_a_job_position_or_role._Through_this_process,_organizations_acquire,_deploy,_and_retain_a_workforce_of_sufficient_qua_...
,_which_a_client_procures_for_more_generalized_labor,_whereas_consulting_is_for_more_specialized_labor._Thus,_in_contrast_to_adviser.html" ;"title="temporary_work.html" "title="s compared to a Subject-matter expert (SME) is to be able to correctly diagnose and effectively transform an often ill-defined problem and apply information, resources and processes to create a workable and usable solution. Some experts are good consultants and vice versa, some are neither, few are both." Another differentiation perspective would be that a consultant sells advice, but an expert sells their expertise; or of Consultants vs. Coaches or SMEs vs. Team Leaders. Consultants do not have to be subject-matter experts as consulting agreements are a form of labor contract - comparable to temporary work">staffing ''Staffing'' is the process of finding the right worker with appropriate qualifications or experience and recruiting them to fill a job position or role. Through this process, organizations acquire, deploy, and retain a workforce of sufficient qua ...
, which a client procures for more generalized labor, whereas consulting is for more specialized labor. Thus, in contrast to adviser">advisory services, which is not a labor contract but an actual service (advisory services never become part of the procuring organization) the market for consulting agreements follows the demand for specialized labor in the form of a consulting procurement, and so while competence and experience is naturally an advantage for when looking to sell consulting services, it is not a prerequisite in the same way that it is for advisory services where the service provider per definition relies on some level of competence and experience for its relevance.


Contractor vs. consultant

Sometimes, the word consultant applies specifically to someone or organization that provides knowledge, advice or service; whereas the contractor builds something for the client.


Consultants' view of a consultant

A study found that business consultants maintain a very humble approach in their partnership with the client and believe that the ultimate goal is to make the customer move forward. Further, consultants are conscious in amount of control and discretion which comes from the customer and understand that criticism of their role is part of the work and sometimes even justified.


Role of a consultant

The role of a consultant outside the medical sphere (where the term is used specifically for a grade of doctor) can fall under one of two general categories: * Internal consultant: someone who is either employed by or contracted by a client organization, and operates within a client-organization (maybe as part of an ''internal consultancy unit''); or * External consultant: someone who is employed externally to the client (either by a consulting firm, some other agency or as an Self-employment, independent freelancer), whose expertise is provided as part of a contract for a fee or rate.


Business case for hiring a consultant

Traditionally, through the act of procuring consulting services, clients may acquire access to higher grades of expertise than would be financially feasible for them to retain in-house on a long-term basis. Moreover, clients can control their expenditures on consulting services by only purchasing as much services from the outside consultant as desired. Additionally, consultants are key persons with specific domain-skills in creating strategies, leading change (e.g. digitalization), leadership coaching,
interim management Interim management is the temporary provision of management resources and skills. Interim management can be seen as the short-term assignment of a proven heavyweight interim executive manager to manage a period of transition, crisis or change wit ...
(also called ''consultant manager''), etc. Another business-case is that a consultant may save the company money: for example, a specialist tax-consultant who saves the company 20% on its taxes, and only charges 10% in fees, enables the company to net a 10% savings. A portion of professional services in demand for clients are simply not necessary to retain in house, as they may be sporadic in nature, at which a consultant offers a reduction in payroll for the client. In the
UK government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...
sector, since 2010 the
Cabinet Office The Cabinet Office is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for supporting the prime minister and Cabinet. It is composed of various units that support Cabinet committees and which co-ordinate the delivery of government objecti ...
has required government departments to implement spending controls which restrict the appointment of consultants and temporary staff in order to regulate consultancy expenditure and ensure that the use of consultants offers
value for money In economics, economic value is a measure of the benefit provided by a good or service to an economic agent. It is generally measured through units of currency, and the interpretation is therefore "what is the maximum amount of money a speci ...
.National Audit Office
Use of consultants and temporary staff
HC 603, published 13 January 2013, accessed 29 June 2021
A National Audit Office report published in 2015 recommended that all UK government departments adopt a "strategic plan" to assess their current skills and expected "skill gaps", so that their future need for consultants and temporary staff could be better predicted.


Delivery of service

Consultants provide their services to their clients in a variety of forms. Reports and presentations are often used. Advice can be general (high degree of quality of communication) and also domain-focused. However, in some specialized fields, the consultant may develop as well as implement customized software or other products for the client. Depending on the nature (also named
mandate Mandate most often refers to: * League of Nations mandates, quasi-colonial territories established under Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, 28 June 1919 * Mandate (politics), the power granted by an electorate Mandate may also r ...
or
statement of work A statement of work (SOW) is a document routinely employed in the field of project management. It is the narrative description of a project's work requirement. It defines project-specific activities, deliverables and timelines for a vendor providin ...
or assignment) of the consulting services and the wishes of the client, the advice from the consultant may be made public, by placing the report or presentation online, or the advice may be kept confidential (under a
Non-disclosure agreement A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is a legal contract or part of a contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wish ...
or within the clients-company), and only given to the senior executives of the organization.


Employment status and career distinction

Consultants work for (consulting) firms or as freelance contractors. A consultant differs from a temporary worker insofar as she or he has, as detailed above, a highly specialized career and domain knowledge. This could be true for a temporary worker too, however, for example a medical consultant is unlikely to suddenly become a hotel receptionist, whereas a temporary worker might change domains and branches more frequently. Furthermore, a consultant usually signs a service-type employee contract (known as
fixed-term A fixed-term contract is a contractual relationship between an employee and an employer that lasts for a specified period. These contracts are usually regulated by countries' labor laws, to ensure that employers still fulfill basic labour rights reg ...
, full-time, part-time), whereas a temporary worker will only be offered a temporary (and scope limited) contract or a work-results type contract (e. g. in Germany a specific type of contract called ''Werksvertrag'') to fulfill or create a specific work. Additionally, a temporary worker might be directed and managed by a client, whereas a consultant is employed by a company (or self) and provides services for a client. The consultant may not be provided work-related instruments or tools, but only the necessary infrastructure and accesses the consultant needs to fulfill the statement of work, e. g. access to internal IT networks or client-side laboratory. Moreover, a consultant might engage in multi-project services ( matrix organization) for the client or for internal projects/activities at the employer firm. The consultant's career path is usually not at the client's side, however the consultant will very likely be introduced into the client's organizational program or project structure. Novel collaborations of expert-contractors or ''independent consultants'' especially in ICT sector exist, e.g. ThoughtWorks.


Consulting scope

A consultant's activity can last anywhere from an hourly consultation, to a one-day service, three months, 12 months or more. For complex projects, a longer period is needed for the consultant to analyze, resolve the root cause, get to know the stakeholders and organizational-situation, etc. Usually the engagement has set legal boundaries under given law to avoid (specifically for freelance-contractors) the problem of false self-employment (see also
Umbrella company An umbrella company is a company that employs agency contractors who work on temporary contract assignments, usually through a recruitment agency in the United Kingdom. Recruitment agencies prefer to issue contracts to a limited company as the ag ...
). The person at client location is sometimes called a ''Resident''. By spending time at the client's organization, the consultant is able to observe work processes, interview workers, managers, executives, board members, or other individuals, and study how the organization operates to provide hers or his services. In some settings, a consultant is signing a specific contract and is hired as an interim manager or executive with advanced authority or shared responsibility or decision making of client-side activities, filling a vacant position which could and cannot be filled with an internal candidate. This is often the case by the client-organization due to other constraints, such as corporate compliance and HR-processes, which lead to prolonged hiring paths beyond six months, which is often inacceptable for leadership roles.


Work location

Research and analysis can occur at the consultants' offices (sometimes called
back office A back office in most corporations is where work that supports ''front office'' work is done. The front office is the "face" of the company and is all the resources of the company that are used to make sales and interact with customers and clien ...
) or home-offices) or via
remote work Remote work, also called work from home (WFH), work from anywhere, telework, remote job, mobile work, and distance work is an employment arrangement in which employees do not commute to a central place of work, such as an office building, war ...
). In the case of smaller consulting firms, consultants typically work at the site of the client for at least some of the time. The governing factor on where a consultant works tends to be the amount of interaction required with other employees of the client. If a
management consultant Management consulting is the practice of providing consulting services to organizations to improve their performance or in any way to assist in achieving organizational objectives. Organizations may draw upon the services of management consultant ...
is providing advice to a software firm that is struggling with employee morale, absenteeism and issues with
resignation Resignation is the formal act of leaving or quitting one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or choos ...
by managers and senior engineers, the consultant will probably spend a good deal of time at the client's office, interviewing staff, engineers, managers and executives, and observing work processes. On the other hand, a legal consultant asked to provide advice on a specific
property law Property law is the area of law that governs the various forms of ownership in real property (land) and personal property. Property refers to legally protected claims to resources, such as land and personal property, including intellectual prop ...
issue might only have a few meetings at the client's office, and conduct the majority of his work at the consultant's office and in legal libraries. Similarly, the growth of online, highly skilled consultant freelance marketplaces has begun to grow. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an increase in
remote work Remote work, also called work from home (WFH), work from anywhere, telework, remote job, mobile work, and distance work is an employment arrangement in which employees do not commute to a central place of work, such as an office building, war ...
and demand for online-work skills to continue business or operations.


In-house consulting

Also known as ''ICUs - Internal Consulting Units'', which are departments or specialists groups created by or maintained by usually larger companies for their own consulting service needs along the business chain. ''ICUs'' might be internal or own-run businesses.


Success factors of consulting

The following qualities are found to be helpful for a successful consulting career.


Accenture success factors

From Accenture blog, one of the main IT consultancies in the world, the following factors play an important role: * A service-oriented mindset * Sharing of great work * Seizing of opportunities * Setting of goals, seeking of advice and taking time to reflect


''Bronnenmayer's'' success factors

Bronnenmayer et al. investigated, by applying a structural equation model, and due to little empirical research, the management consulting's success factors from a client perspective. It is found that Consultant Expertise, Intensity of Collaboration and Common Vision have strongest performance impact on success. # Common Vision # Intensity of Collaboration # Trust # Project Management # Consultant Expertise # Provided Resources # Top Management Support


Sindermann and Sawyer success factors

Sindermann and Sawyer conclude in their book ''The Scientist as Consultant'', that a cientificconsultant is successful, if she or he has "achieved a viable mix of technical proficiency and business skills" with "technical proficiency" meaning excellence in competence, credibility, effective networking with colleagues, and ability to negotiate.


Hartel's 10 Golden Rules

According to management consultant Dirk Hartel, the following ten objectives or rules are key to a successful consulting career: # Customer first - Especially the meaning of being available (time) for customer needs # Appearance - Understanding of self-image and dress for the job # Determined friendliness - Having concrete mindset and goals, but being diplomatic too # Punctuality - Leading time management, starting and finishing on time, being prepared # Engagement and productivity - Supporting, being pro-active, etc. # Critical questioning - Nobody is born a consultant; asking the right questions is a key skill # Feedback - Request regular feedback, asking for critique rather than waiting for it # Acceptance of hierarchies - Professional navigation in client organization, knowing authority-levels, being respectful and being confidential with customer information # Stakeholder behavior - Study and understanding of client behavior and culture; inspiring stakeholders with presentations, etc. # Being courageous - Consulting-life is challenging, never lose trust in yourself, but also reflect and lead a positive and good life


Consulting challenges


Distinctness

Consultants are often outsiders to the client organization. On one hand, this means their work methods, expertise, behaviors, etc. differ from the client-employees and organizational, and is exactly what the client needs, however it can also be a considerable disadvantage for a successful engagement and may lead to a less intimate cooperation with the client's business.


Domain

Next to general challenges, domain-specific challenges for consultants exist. In palliative medicine consulting, emotions, beliefs, sensitive topics, difficulty communicating and prognosis interpretation, or patients expectations despite critical illness are some of the challenges faced by the consultant.


Ethical conflict (manipulation)

According to Kelman, "One danger is that he counselordoes not recognize the control that he is exercising over the client's behavior. The other is that he is so convinced that he is doing good for the client that he does not realize the double-edged nature of the control he is exercising." A consultant therefore needs to be aware and in control of her or his manipulative influences in particular couseling settings.


Expectations (customer)

Hartel mentions several challenges that are based on the types of consultants, including a consultant in a short-term role, as integrator, as driver, as project manager or methodology guru, know-how expert, or as scapegoat. In case of ''consultant as integrator'', the consultant has the challenging task to resolve, negotiate, facilitate, mediate political situations in companies to move forward, such as different opinions, critical characters (persons), difficult relationships or interfaces, goal conflicts, power games, etc. In case of ''consultant as scapegoat'', the consultant, who is external to the company, is the one to announce difficult company decisions such as layoffs or reorganizations, but it is important that the consultant acts professional and competent, not just as " Rambo in suit".


Organizational

Consultants may face several organizational challenges, e. g. internal consultants are faced with the paradoxes to maintain a good balance between knowing the internal company structure and at the same time staying neutral and objective, keeping a marginal position between the client and the provided service. Further, depending on the hiring company's understanding how to work with a consultant, the consultant might be seen as disruption to the inhouse employees status.


Other general challenges

General issues faced by a consultant can be stress, productivity issues with meetings, general "technostresses", high-paced and changing business environments and situations, etc.


Stakeholder management

In case of corporate and industrial consultants, the role is further challenged to act and become the "translator of information" from various different client-company cultures and procedures (processes) and between her or his employer-side team, managers and leadership team. What is an important goal to the current client is usually not similar for any other client due to multiple variations in company size, history, product, program, organizational structure, leadership, etc. Hence the consultant must be excellent in sensing and communicating between different layers in the organization and further across it, while maintaining authenticity, integrity and trustworthiness with all parties involved.


Taxation and legal status

Independent consultants (contractors or freelancer) usually need to fulfil taxation requirements given by laws, specifically challenging employment status to avoid 'disguised' employment. Compared to contracting, consulting can be seen as being "in business in your own right", not controlled by your client, etc. placing a consultant "well outside" of e. g. IR35. Alan Weiss provides 20 "factors" for consultants in the US (IRS), which are similar in other countries, to avoid or understand in terms of their business activity. Amongst those, the consultant is not supposed to be instructed by the client, should not receive similar training as employees, has the right to sub-contract, should not be integrated into the organizational structure, etc. to avoid legal-status and taxation issues.


Qualifications

There is no single qualification to becoming a consultant, other than those laid down in relation to medical, psychological and engineering personnel who have attained this level-degree in it or professional licenses, such as
Chartered Engineer Regulation and licensure in engineering is established by various jurisdictions of the world to encourage life, public welfare, safety, well-being, then environment and other interests of the general public and to define the licensure process thro ...
. Consultants may hold
undergraduate degree An undergraduate degree (also called first degree or simply degree) is a colloquial term for an academic degree earned by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. In the United States, it is usually offered at an institution of higher ...
s, graduate degrees,
professional degree A professional degree, formerly known in the US as a first professional degree, is a degree that prepares someone to work in a particular profession, practice, or industry sector often meeting the academic requirements for licensure or accreditatio ...
s or professional designations pertaining to their field(s) of expertise. In some fields, a consultant may be required to hold certain professional licenses (e.g., a
civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...
providing consulting on a bridge project may have to be a
professional engineer Regulation and licensure in engineering is established by various jurisdictions of the world to encourage life, public welfare, safety, well-being, then environment and other interests of the general public and to define the licensure process thro ...
). In other types of consulting, there may be no specific qualification requirements. A legal consultant may have to be a member of the bar or hold a law degree. An accounting consultant may have to have an accounting designation, such as Chartered Accountant status. Some individuals become consultants after a lengthy and distinguished career as an executive or political leader or employee, so their lengthy and exposed experience may be their main asset.


Accreditation

Various accreditation bodies for consultants exist today: *
AACSB The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, also known as AACSB International, is an American professional organization. It was founded as the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business in 1916 to provide accreditation to ...
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business *
AMBA Amba or AMBA may refer to: Title * Amba Hor, alternative name for Abhor and Mehraela, Christian martyrs * Amba Sada, also known as Psote, Christian bishop and martyr in Upper Egypt Given name * Amba, the traditional first name given to the fir ...
- Association of MBAs *CIMC - Chartered Institute of Management Consultants (US) * CMI - Chartered Management Institute (UK) **IC -
Institute of Consulting The Institute of Consulting (IC) is the professional body for consultants and business advisers in the United Kingdom. It replaced the former Institute of Business Consulting (IBC) in January 2011, which was itself formed as the merger of two pre ...
(UK) * EFMD - European Foundation for Management Development ( EQUIS) *
FEANI FEANI (Fédération Européenne d'Associations Nationales d'Ingénieurs / European Federation of National Engineering Associations) is a federation of national professional bodies representing engineering in European countries. Founded in 1951, ...
- European federation of professional engineers * Institute of Management Consultants (IMC USA) *
International Federation of Consulting Engineers The International Federation of Consulting Engineers (commonly known as FIDIC, acronym for its French name ''Fédération Internationale Des Ingénieurs-Conseils'') is an international standards organization for construction technology and consul ...
(FIDIC) *The International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI)


Code of Ethics

Accredited practitioners in all fields (incl. medical) can be bound by a
Code of Ethics Ethical codes are adopted by organizations to assist members in understanding the difference between right and wrong and in applying that understanding to their decisions. An ethical code generally implies documents at three levels: codes of bus ...
or
Code of Conduct A code of conduct is a set of rules outlining the norms, rules, and responsibilities or proper practices of an individual party or an organization. Companies' codes of conduct A company code of conduct is a set of rules which is commonly writt ...
. Ethics in the field of business consulting and organizations is still a subject under research. A thorough discussion of ethics in the field of consultation is given in Lippitt & Lippitt (see also 2nd edition in English). Here the authors mention several guidelines and definitions including Shay, the Association of Consulting Management Engineers (1966), American Society for Training and Development (1977), Academy of Management (1976) and conclude their own codex with the following attributes (see below). Additionally, the authors mention the difficulty in applying the codex and scenarios of how to track adherence and how to judge violations in accordance with other bodies, such as APA (
American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It has ...
) and CSPEC (or CSCE) (Committee on Scientific and Professional Ethics) and conclude that "The most important aspect in the formulation of a code of conduct however, is the recognition of a fundamental moral standard. Only then is compliance with the rules guaranteed."


Consulting domains

There exist various forms, types and areas or industries of consultants. The following list provides some examples:


Business (general)

* Franchise consulting *
Human resource consulting The human resource consulting industry has emerged from management consulting and addresses human resource management tasks and decisions. HR Consultants can fill two typical roles (1) Expert Resource Consultant (2) Process/People consultant. These ...
- Specialists who provide expertise around employment practice and people management. *
Interim management Interim management is the temporary provision of management resources and skills. Interim management can be seen as the short-term assignment of a proven heavyweight interim executive manager to manage a period of transition, crisis or change wit ...
- Often independent consultants who act as interim executives (any CxO) with decision-making power under corporate policies or statutes. They may sit on specially constituted boards or committees. * Performance consulting - Consultants who focus on the execution of an initiative or overall performance of their client. * Management consulting - Professionals working on the development of and improvement to organizational strategy alongside
senior management Senior management, executive management, upper management, or a management is generally individuals at the highest level of management of an organization who have the day-to-day tasks of managing that organization—sometimes a company or a corpo ...
in many industries. ISO 20700 standard has been available since 2017. * Market-entry consultant *
Media consultant A media consultant is a marketing agent or public relations executive that is hired by businesses or political candidates to obtain positive press coverage. Media consultants usually draft press releases to highlight positive achievements of a ...
*
Process consultant {{Refimprove, date=December 2019 A process consultant is a highly qualified professional that has insights into and understands the psychological and social dynamics of working with various client systems such as whole organizations, groups, and ind ...
s - Specialists in the design or improvement of e.g. operational processes in specific sectors, e.g. medical industry *
Statistical consultant A methodological advisor or statistical consultant provides methodological and statistical advice and guidance to clients interested in making decisions regarding the design of studies, the collection and analysis of data, and the presentation an ...
*
Tax advisor A tax advisor or tax consultant is a person with advanced training and knowledge of tax law. The services of a tax advisor are usually retained in order to minimize taxation while remaining compliant with the law in complicated financial situations. ...


Technology

* Information-technology consulting - Experts in Computer-technology disciplines such as computer hardware,
software engineering Software engineering is a systematic engineering approach to software development. A software engineer is a person who applies the principles of software engineering to design, develop, maintain, test, and evaluate computer software. The term ''p ...
, or networks.


Construction

* Elevator consultant


Entertainment

* Creative consultant * Image consulting *
Theatre consultant A theatre consultant is a consultant who specializes in the design of facilities for the performing arts, equipment for those facilities and the operation of theatre. Professional consultants provide unbiased, functionally sound, practical consulti ...


Health

* Biotechnology consulting * Consultant (medical) - the most senior grade of hospital doctor in the United Kingdom. * Consultant pharmacist * Consulting psychology *
Lactation consultant A lactation consultant is a health professional who specializes in the clinical management of breastfeeding. The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE) certifies lactation consultants who meet its criteria and have passed ...


Law and politics

*
Economic analyst An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are ...
* Employment consultant *
Environmental consulting Environmental consulting is often a form of compliance consulting, in which the consultant ensures that the client maintains an appropriate measure of compliance with environmental regulations. There are many types of environmental consultants, b ...
*
Foreclosure consultant Although the definition may vary by jurisdiction, foreclosure consultant generally means any person who makes any solicitation, representation, or offer to any owner to perform for compensation or who, for compensation, performs any service which th ...
*
Immigration consultant An immigration consultant is a person who helps people to emigrate from one country to another country and through legal and documentation process to increase the chances of immigration for study, work, travel or business purpose. Immigration co ...
s - Help with the legal procedures of immigration from one country to another. * Legal nurse consultant *
Political consulting Political consulting is a form of consulting that consists primarily of advising and assisting political campaigns. Although the most important role of political consultants is arguably the development and production of mass media (largely tele ...
*
Trial consulting Trial consulting is the use of social scientists, particularly psychologists and communication experts, and economists, to aid attorneys in the presentation of a criminal trial or civil lawsuit. Modern trial consultants help prepare witnesses, impro ...


Education

*
Educational consultant An Educational Consultant (EC) is an advisor who helps parents and students with educational planning for high school, college, and graduate school. Overview An educational consultant offers services that are similar to school counselors and acad ...
s - Assist students or parents in making educational decisions and giving advice in various issues, such as tuition, fees, visas, and enrolling in higher education. * Faculty consultant


List of notable (management) consultants

*
Alan Weiss (entrepreneur) Alan Weiss (born 1946) is an American entrepreneur, author, and public speaker. Background Alan Weiss was born in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1946. He spent his childhood in Union City, New Jersey, and graduated from Emerson High School in 1964 ...
*
Arthur E. Andersen Arthur Edward Andersen (May 30, 1885 – January 10, 1947) was a Scandinavian-American accountant who was the founder of the accounting firm Arthur Andersen LLP (now Accenture). Biography Arthur Edward Andersen was born in Plano, Illinois, to ...
(Accenture) * Bill Bain (Bain & Company) *
Edwin G. Booz Edwin George Booz (September 2, 1887 - October 1, 1951) was an American management consultant, businessman and corporate executive. He co-founded the consulting firm, Booz Allen Hamilton. Biography Early life and career Booz was born in 1887 ...
, James L. Allen,
Carl L. Hamilton Carl Lewis Hamilton (February 23, 1888 – May 27, 1946) was an American businessman. He is most notable for his work as a senior executive of the Weyerhaeuser wood products company and a named partner of the Booz Allen Hamilton management and in ...
*
Bruce Henderson Bruce Doolin Henderson (April 30, 1915 – July 20, 1992) was an American businessman and management expert. He founded Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in 1963 in Boston, Massachusetts and headed the firm as the president and CEO until 1980. He c ...
(founder of BCG) * Clay Christensen *
Fred Gluck Frederick W. Gluck (born 1935) was a longtime top senior partner and director at management consultancy McKinsey & Company, serving as managing director (chief executive) from 1988 to 1994. At McKinsey he introduced the concept of fifteen “cent ...
* Gary Hamel * George Gallup (Gallup Inc.) * Henry Mintzberg *
James O. McKinsey James Oscar McKinsey (June 4, 1889 – November 30, 1937) was an American accountant, management consultant, professor of accounting at the University of Chicago, and founder of McKinsey & Company.Flesher, Dale L. and Tonya K. Flesher.McKinsey, Ja ...
* Michael Porter * Peter Block Further prominent ''thinkers'' are also listed in the Strategy portal.


See also

*
Business school A business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in business administration or management. A business school may also be referred to as school of management, management school, school of business administration, or ...
*
Consulting firm A consulting firm or simply consultancy is a professional service firm that provides expertise and specialised labour for a fee, through the use of consultants. Consulting firms may have one employee or thousands; they may consult in a broad range ...
*
Contingent workforce Contingent work, casual work, or contract work, is an employment relationship with limited job security, payment on a piece work basis, typically part-time (typically with variable hours) that is considered non-permanent. Although there is less j ...
*
Interim management Interim management is the temporary provision of management resources and skills. Interim management can be seen as the short-term assignment of a proven heavyweight interim executive manager to manage a period of transition, crisis or change wit ...
* IRS Reclassification *
Knowledge transfer Knowledge transfer is the sharing or disseminating of knowledge and the providing of inputs to problem solving. In organizational theory, knowledge transfer is the practical problem of transferring knowledge from one part of the organization to ...
* Management consulting *
Permatemp Permatemp is a U.S. term for a temporary employee who works for an extended period for a single staffing client. The word is a portmanteau of the words '' permanent'' and ''temporary''. There are two types of permatemp employment relationships. ...
*
Political consulting Political consulting is a form of consulting that consists primarily of advising and assisting political campaigns. Although the most important role of political consultants is arguably the development and production of mass media (largely tele ...
*
Project management Project management is the process of leading the work of a team to achieve all project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project documentation, created at the beginning of the development process. Th ...
*
Procurement Procurement is the method of discovering and agreeing to terms and purchasing goods, services, or other works from an external source, often with the use of a tendering or competitive bidding process. When a government agency buys goods or serv ...
*
Public consultation Public consultation (Commonwealth countries and European Union), public comment (US), or simply consultation, is a regulatory process by which the public's input on matters affecting them is sought. Its main goals are in improving the efficiency, ...


References


Further reading

*Nissen, Volker, ed. ''Advances in Consulting Research: Recent Findings and Practical Cases''. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2019. Print. *CMI - Management Consulting Journal * CMC - Management Consulting Journal *Treichler, Christoph. “Consulting Industry and Market Trends: A Two-Sided View.” ''Contributions to Management Science''. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2019. 253–272. Print.
Journal of Business and Management

Journal of Management Studies
by Stephan Hartmann of
Roland Berger Roland Berger (born 22 November 1937) is a German entrepreneur, consultant and philanthropist. Life Roland Berger was born in Berlin in 1937 as Robert Altmann; his family name changed later, after his father, Georg L. Berger, married his moth ...
Switzerland, 2021
Management Review Quarterly
*Marsh, Sheila. ''The Feminine in Management Consulting''. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2009. Print. * McKinseybr>Quarterly Magazine
*Seebacher, Uwe G. ''Template-Based Management: A Guide for an Efficient and Impactful Professional Practice''. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2021. Print.
Strategy+business
by
PwC PricewaterhouseCoopers is an international professional services brand of firms, operating as partnerships under the PwC brand. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is considered one of the Big Four accounting ...
*Roland Berger'
Think:Act
Magazine *Susskind, Richard, and Daniel Susskind. ''The Future of the Professions: How Technology Will Transform the Work of Human Experts''. Oxford University Press, 2015. Print. *Kipping, Matthias, and Timothy Clark, eds. ''The Oxford Handbook of Management Consulting''. London, England: Oxford University Press, 2013. Print. * TCS
Management Journal Perspectives
*Weiss, A. (2016). ''Million dollar consulting: The professional's guide to growing a practice, fifth edition'' (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education. {{Authority control * Business occupations