Meaning of Consultant Consultant is a person with a set of knowledge, skills and experience that is in demand by business/individuals.

They provide advice on how to solve problems facing a client. A consultant is a recognized specialist with particular skills, expertise or knowledge who is contracted by an individual or organization for a short period, either in an advisory or consultative capacity or to provide a product or service. Greiner and etzger !"#$%& defines consultancy as an advisory service contracted for and

provided to organizations by special trained and 'ualified persons who assist, in an ob(ective and independent manner, the client organization to identify management problems, analyze such problems, recommend solutions to these problems, and help, when re'uested, in the implementation of solutions. Why organizations use consultants any organizations, be it industry or individual organizations do face problems in their day)to) day running of their organization. *n such situations, they would re'uire to make changes successfully. +owever, before inducing change in an organization, management needs to make a conscious effort in assessing the need for change. Attitude towards change result from a multifaceted interaction of cognitive processes and emotions. ,ome individuals in an organization may perceive change as an indication of growth, innovation and opportunityhowever, others may associate it with instability, confusion and anxiety. .hen an organization reached that state, they would adopt change or hire the services of consultants. The following are the reasons as to why organizations use consultants/) The need for fresh outside ideas. 0rganizations use consultants because they have specific and in)depth knowledge or skills around a particular sub(ect or issue, which are not available within their own organization. anagement therefore feels that the employees do not have sufficient knowledge on the problem facing the organization, thus they hire the services of a consultant.

Gattiker and 1arwood !"#$2& suggest that since knowledge is already available with the consultants, the organization is able to avoid investing in extensive training and focuses on efficient knowledge transfer. These consultants add value by bringing with them concepts from other industries and sectors, with a track record of reducing risk and enhanced probability of successful change management. i) The need to diagnose problems and find innovation or solutions. ,ometimes organizations call upon consultants to use their expert knowledge in diagnosing problems facing the organization and identifying opportunities for further measurable improvements that is beyond their own capabilities !.err and ,tyhre, 344%&. *t is common in many organizations, where the management takes this task upon them, but is unsuccessful as they are constantly tied up in their daily management issues, which makes the change process very sluggish and ineffective. Therefore, consultants are able to achieve results 'uicker for their client than they doing it themselves, which creates value, saves money and allows the firm to stay ahead of the competition. ii) The need for personnel to work on temporary basis. 5onsultants are hired to provide temporary professional services to help organizations fill gaps where they lack critical expertise !6ubr, "##7&. 5onsultants will probably be less costly in the long run than hiring new employees and their knowledge can be transferred to the organization for sustained results. 5onsultants are better at doing what they do, because they are always consulting various organizations. This idea encourages many organizations to outsource their management processes and decisions as they believe that knowledge is the source of competitive advantage. iii) The need to deal with company politics. anagements of many organizations are using consultants as a neutral seal of approval for the decisions they make. ,ometimes 5onsultants are brought in, to
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support unpopular decisions by the management as a blame transfer or insurance mechanism strategy. ,turdy !"##8,p.%$#& stated, 90verall, the history of management consulting in recent times has been one, not of noise and plurivocality, but of silencing certain groups !e.g. employees, consumers and citizens&:.,o the management would hire consultants to (ustify certain management actions to avoid employees; resistance/ rioting. iv& The need to train employees to cope with the ever changing economic, business and scientific environment. 5onsultants provide ob(ective and independent evaluation and advice. ,ince consultants are external to an organization, their aim is to work in the best interest of the client. Their ob(ective is to use their expert knowledge and skills to provide problem solution and improvements. As they do not have any history, emotional connections with the organization or any political ties, their recommendations are considered unbiased and practical. <or instance, employees will learn the consulting process from consultants- receive training on specialized technical issues e.g. web designing, and computer applications. b) !T "#$% $#& '#T "#$% consultants share the characteristics of helping their clients address problems and improve business and organization results- they have a passion for the wisdom and expertise they bring to the organization, and they have the ability to galvanize clients into action. +owever, external and internal consultant;s roles are significantly differences in perspectives, challenges and re'uirements. =xternal consultants are often brought in because they bring wisdom, ob(ectivity and expertise to the organization. They are seen as gurus or saviors bringing wise counsel. *nternal consultants have expertise, but it is valued differently as an organization insider. (i) 'nternal consultants, limited by perceptions and position in the organization, add a different value of in)depth knowledge of the business, the organization and the management. This in) depth knowledge makes them particularly valuable on sensitive implementation of strategic change pro(ects or culture transformation initiatives, managing processes or pro(ects, and

integrating or leveraging initiatives across the organization. Therefore, the internal consultants would be used by the organization under the following situations To preserve business secrets of the organization >reservation of history due to the fact that every organization has their own history 5ost as the factor, if the organization want to save cost they decide to use the internal consultant because they are cheaper than the outsiders especially for small firms organizations The internal consultants have more knowledge with the internal situation of the organization ,peaking (argon or the language of the organization and culture is important The organization have the internal expertise

(ii) )ternal consultants are usually viewed as having higher levels of expertise and experience and credibility, especially if he or she is published, credentialed, and well known. This gives the external more influence and buy)in from senior level executives who may prefer to hear from outsiders. >aying for services also implies the output is better or more valued. *n addition to these perceived advantages, externals are fre'uently more up)to)date on the newest business thinking and new ways of working, and they bring the added value of a broader base of experience. =xternals are valued by clients for their outsider ob(ectivity and ability to give tough feedback or to ask the difficult 'uestion. <urthermore, the external consultants would be used by the organization under the following situation .hen there is no internal expertise To support development of strategy or facilitate corporate)wide initiatives or key priority The internal does not have status, power or authority to influence senior management or the culture ?ew risky alternatives need validation from an outside expert
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The experience from different parts !uni'ueness of the experience& To avoid sub(ectivity =xternal consultants are used for the difficult decision

*n general, consultants play a vital role in shaping our economy and creating value for both the public and private sector. Although their role is poorly understood the consulting industry is still growing. According to ,tinchcombe !"#72&, many large corporations !due to legacy systems& to date are not able to realign their management processes in order to internalize many of the outsourced function, despite the opportunities present with the information technology revolution. <or instance, a fifth type of consulting that is emerging is sourcing advisory. >ost recession time will see an increase in new markets, the use of contractors, prolonging existing pro(ects and a need for cash flow management. This will prompt a need for external consultants, as many firms that downsized their operation will be in need of expertise.

"eferences Gattiker, @. =. and 1. 1arwood. "#$2. .hy Ao 5lients =mploy 5onsultation C !3& Greiner, 1. and D. +all. etzger. "#$%. 5onsulting to anagement 5onsultantsB

anagement. =nglewood 5liffs, ?.E./ >rentice)

6ubr, ., ed. "##7. anagement 5onsulting/ A Guide to the >rofession. %d ed. Geneva/ *nternational 1abour 0ffice. ,tinchcombe, A. 1. "#72. ,ocial ,tructure and 0rganizations . *n +andbook of 0rganizations, edited by E. G. arch. 5hicago/ Dand c?ally. ,turdy, A. E. !"##8& The 5onsultancy >rocessFAn *nsecure GusinessB; Eournal of ,tudies %C!%& anagement

.err, A. and ,tyhre, A. !344%&, 9 anagement consultants)friend or foeB @nderstanding the ambiguous client)consultant relationship:, *nternational ,tudies of anagement H 0rganization, Iol.%3 ?o.C
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