Corporations find themselves in the position of needing management consulting for a variety of reasons; because of the loss of key executives through misfortune or mismanagement; the addition of a new department or inception of a new project; or a necessity for management training in new methodologies. Whatever your need, when you look for management consulting services, you should look for the very best.
Most people limit themselves to the large companies – Coopers and Lybrand, or IBM – when they’re looking for the best management consulting.
This may not be your best bet, however. Sometimes even the large consulting firms send out relatively untried young executives on consulting jobs.
A better way to find the best management consulting services is to ask around. Great management consultants often operate by themselves, and the best way to find them is to locate happy clients.
Another way to find management consultants is to look through business magazines and newsletters. Frequently, management consultants write articles on management techniques and cutting-edge solutions.
When you read articles that make sense to you and seem to be applicable to your business, you may be able to hire the author of the article to implement his or her techniques in your business.
Specialities to seek out
Though some management consultants will be generalists, good at helping make all areas efficient, many of them specialize.
You’ll find consultants who are particularly good with IT issues, with building and facilities, transportation and travel, accounting, or with production line problems.
If you’re not sure what you really need, then you should go with a generalist. If you’ve already discovered some of your problems, then you know a specialty to seek out.
Often, you may need a team of management consultants who are capable of addressing multiple problem areas. If you use a team, you should consider hiring a project manager as well to keep everyone organized and on task.
When restructuring your company to this extent, the most vital task you have is keeping everything efficient, organized, and timely.
One particular speciality you should consider is a generalist who is well-versed in the ramifications of government regulations that have been passed recently.
These acts are complex, and often involve more business change than you might anticipate. An experienced management consultant who has implemented them at businesses similar to yours will be able to help you apply reporting requirements, records, and other new requirements appropriately to your business practices.
The other two especially valuable specialities today are consultants with expertise in IT and in accounting practices.
With the constant changes in the IT world today, it takes an expert to keep up with changes, especially in the area of information security.
And accounting practice management consultants will not only be aware of new techniques and methodologies but also of the ramifications of new government regulations designed to curb the accounting abuses that have caused so much turmoil in the business world over the last decade.
Most importantly, when looking for a management consultant, keep your business goals in mind. Your consultants should be able to advance those goals while ensuring your business practices are efficient and in line with new regulatory requirements.
