Skills and Roles of Consultants: Training Implications

The practice of consultancy primarily in the US is discussed and is broken down into five separate sections. The first section takes a look at the history of consulting and what trends it is taking into the 1990s. The second section takes a brief look at who does do consulting and what types of firms operate in consulting. The third and fourth sections are the heart of the article. The third section examines the different roles of consultants as looked at through two models. The fourth section examines the consulting analysis process and the diverse skills required to succeed in the field of consulting. Finally, the last section explains some of the most critical issues affecting the nature of training and developing individuals to be effective consultants.