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A bibliography of publications dealing with management of the skills of consultancy and management of consultancy practices.

This is ACT's first attempt to put together a useful bibliography for consultants, your comments and additions would be most welcome. Please only recommend publications which deal specifically with consultancy skills or the management of consultancy practices.

 

General guides - by consultants for consultants

Handbook of Management Consulting Services

by Sam W. Barcus III and Joseph W. Wilkinson

McGraw-Hill Book Company 1986 ISBN 0-07-003658-6

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This book discusses the entire spectrum of consultancy, giving useful advice on how consultants can be more effective. Barcus and Wilkins begin with the basics of consultancy, skills and requirements, and proceed to an in-depth discussion of the administrative and management aspects of consultancy. They help prepare consultants for the tasks ahead by explaining three necessary skills to possess:

After explaining the basics of consultancy, this book describes the administrative and management aspects of the profession. Problem evaluation, analysis, and solution are detailed, as well as how to implement a plan. With its detailed description of various aspects of consultancy, this "handbook" offers direction to people at any stage of the profession.

 

Management Consulting

by Milan Kubr

International Labour Office 1996 ISBN 92-2-109449-9 70F(Swiss)

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Kubr looks at management consulting as a method and a profession, giving a general look at consultancy from the basics of the profession to the specific kinds of consulting that are possible. He gives the reader a comprehensive look at consultancy, presenting the different approaches that are available. Although this book is large, it is divided in to five separate parts to allow its readers to go easily to the sections relevant to them:

Kubr defines terms like "change" and "professionalism" which must be understood in order to fully grasp the concept of consultancy. In an effort to raise professional standards, he gives guidelines to apply for different areas of management and for working with various kinds of clients. As well as breaking down the basic process of consulting, he explains strategies and management tips for running your own consultancy firm, including a chapter on costs and fees.

This guide to consultancy is designed to help newcomers to consultancy establish a strong foundation and for professionals to enhance their current firms.

 

Flawless Consultancy

by Peter Block

Pfeiffer & Company 1981 ISBN 0-89384-052-1

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This is a practical, easy to use book that gives an overview of consultancy. It presents both useful case studies reflecting real life challenges and application procedures for use with clients.

Flawless Consultancy is a step by step guide to understanding the dynamics and challenges of consultancy. It focuses primarily on internal consultancy, however, the basic concepts can equally be applied to external consultancy. Through specific examples of consultancy workshops, diagrams, and even a few cartoons, Block has created a practical, basic guide to the theory and application of consultancy. He provides a checklist for contract negotiation meetings. This provides an overview of the problems and the objectives which both the consultant and the client may have as well as guidelines for a clear contract.

This book shows how to identify problems and collect data, and how to present data in a feedback meeting. Block also discusses the specific kinds of resistance that a consultant may face.

 

The dynamics & challenges of consultancy

 

What Makes Consultancy Work

ed R. Casemore, G. Dyos, A. Eden, K. Kellner, J. McAuley, and S. Moss

South Bank University Press 1994 ISBN 1-874418-07-1

This book comprises papers and presentations from a conference at South Bank University organised to evaluate the nature and dynamics of consulting. It brings together the various perspectives of consultants who share their own challenges and experiences of working in the field. It reflects an academic debate, rather than being a step-by-step guidebook to consultancy. Each of the 28 papers begins with a short abstract to aid the reader in the subject that will be presented.

The different papers and experiences shared by various professionals at this conference offer a range of approaches and conclusions about consultancy. They analyse the effectiveness of consultancy by examining such areas as client relationships and client organisations' structures. Many of the papers deal with teaching managers how to change their perceptions of line management, for better organisation management. By examining current issues in consultancy, this book addresses the nature of consultancy services as a whole.

 

Running your consultancy business and increasing its efficiency

 

High Income Consulting

by Tom Lambert

Pub: Nicholas Brealey Publishing 1994 ISBN 1-85788-030-7

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This book aids new consultants in getting a practice started while helping experienced consultants re-organise their firms.

It has three sections:

Lambert discusses liability, profitability, and business proposals, explaining each in detail to show how to run a successful business. A step by step plan is included to show consultants how to set fees and manage overhead costs, so business can grow and a profit can be made.

He also gives specific recommendations about how to build a reputation such as giving seminars and making a brochure. By showing how to sell oneself as a consultant as well as one's practice, High Income Consulting offers various tools and tips to running a successful consultancy practice that is both profitable and respected.

 

Managing the Professional Service Firm

by David H. Maister. The Free Press 1993 ISBN 0-02-919782-1

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This book about managerial problems and solutions can be applied to the profession of consultancy and beyond.

Maister begins by discussing the balance and organisation of a firm, pointing out the importance of balancing staff, projects, and time. He explains different managerial approaches and pinpoints the most successful as those who combine a variety of management approaches, depending on the objective or problem. Both personal habits and structural flaws that reduce profitability are also discussed. Maister focuses much of the book on maximizing the performance of each partner in a firm, offering graphs and charts as illustrations. He also focuses on the client side of business, giving recommendations for marketing to existing clients, such as separate budgets, and explaining various ways to gain new clients, such as small seminars.

By combining strategies to improve the effectiveness and profit of a business with advice on working with staff and clients, this book offers managers in various professions a guide to running a more efficient business.

 

True Professionalism

by David H. Maister

The Free Press 1997 ISBN 0-684-82148-6 £16.99

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Instead of discussing the discipline of consultancy, this book tackles the discipline of being a consultant. David Maister believes that the principle of professionalism is what separates successful consultancy businesses from mediocre ones and his recommendations of professionalism can be applied to any type of professional practice. Maister begins by writing to individuals, urging them to figure out their role in the firm. By creating a positive attitude, it becomes easier to adapt to various environments and people. Individuals and firms increase their value by improving standards of professionalism - which Maister defines as passion, helpfulness, and common ideals among constituents. The value of integrity in a firm must be enforced.

This book evaluates the traditional priorities of the professional service and it discusses how to set goals that individuals can be held accountable for. Maister shares important professional qualities for a firm to possess and describes ways they can be achieved. He then converts these teamwork strategies in to helping clients, explaining that clients must trust in consultants and feel they are being genuinely cared for, otherwise communication will break down and future relationships will cease to exist.

More information about David Maister's views and publications can be found at http://www.davidmaister.com.

 

Achieving results through close client-consultant relationships

 

Process Consultation

Volume 1 by Edgar H. Schein Pub: Addison-Wesley

Publishing Company 1988 ISBN 0-201-06736-606736

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This book focuses on "process consultation" - the interpersonal process of consultancy services. Good communication and group development are identified as the framework for successful consulting.

Schein describes the elements of human nature that may influence the consulting process: from culture to influence to group dynamics. After explaining group dynamics and ways to work through problems with people, he puts them to use by taking the reader through the consultancy process. Interpersonal communication is the dominant theme, focussing especially on intervention and feedback.

This book is designed to help both managers and consultants to become more influential and successful.

 

Process Consultation Volume II

by Edgar H. Schein

Addison-Wesley Publishing Company 1987 ISBN 0-201-06744-7

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This second volume by Schein continues with the idea of process consultancy as the helping of others and emphasises again the need for interpersonal communication.

The audience for this book is both experienced managers and consultants, giving more detailed models and solutions than he gives in Volume 1. Much of this book is aimed at managers who can and should deal with similar intervention problems to those that consultants deal with.

Three models are given to help managers and consultants assess and solve problems. He explains the importance of the client not only understanding the issues but also the process and structure of change. This helps interpersonal intervention run smoothly. Schein writes an entire chapter on the ORJI cycle (observation, reaction, judgment, intervention) to help managers and consultants understand their own minds in order to understand the minds of their clients too. Only then can they accurately assess and intervene in situations. Logical stages of change are broken down, and many tables are given to aid managers and consultants in intervening with clients.

 

High Impact Consulting

by Robert H. Schaffer

Jossey-Bass Inc. 1997 ISBN 0-7879-0341-8

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Senior managers and consultants are both the target audience for this book designed to show how to achieve long term results from consultants.

Schaffer explains how conventional consulting is often advice and knowledge that doesn't match what a client is willing and able to do. His focus is high impact consulting which defines projects that fit the client's capabilities, setting both short term and long term goals to ensure success.

Because change is a process, Schaffer focuses on a close partnership between consultant and client, allowing mutual learning to occur throughout the entire process. He shows how management must take a more active role in the process and hold the consultants accountable for benefits over time.

By presenting the flaws and solutions of conventional consulting, this book illustrates how the consultant and client can achieve benefits over time from a close working relationship.

 

Books for consultants' clients

 

Managing Consultants

by Igor S. Popovich

Century Ltd 1995 ISBN 0-7126-7582-5 £17.99

Because this book is written for clients using consultants, a consultant would only read it to learn more about the scepticism and expectations that a client has before using consultancy services. Popovich describes his book as a "guerilla manual," guiding and warning people who plan to use consultancy services.

Popovich explains how clients must maintain control while using a consultant in order to build a mutually beneficial relationship. This book shows the different areas where a client must take responsibility, such as

Checklists and questionnaires illustrate how the client can monitor the consultant at various stages. By showing how to ask the right questions and keep the lines of communication open, Popovich has created a book to help clients learn about themselves while gaining the most from consultancy services.

 

Making the Best Use of Consultants

by Philip Hope

Longman Group 1992 ISBN 0-582-09824-6

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This book covers the very basics of consultancy and is written for clients who plan to use a consultant but know little about the field.

A user's guide to consultancy gives advice on

Key points at the end of each chapter provide an easy to use summary. This book explains the basics of consultancy and is easy to use.

 

How to Select and Use Consultants

by Milan Kubr

International Labour Organization 1993 ISBN 92-2-108517-1

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This book is set up as guide for clients deciding to use a consultant. It gives details on various aspects of consultancy that a client should be familiar with before selecting a consultant. These areas include how to choose a consultant, forming a contract, evaluating feedback, and successfully using the recommendations of the consultant.

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Updated 23 October 1999

 

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