Business Consulting: Analyzing Coursework and Practical Application

This report details a student's experience in a business consulting coursework, exploring various aspects of the field. The report begins by discussing the role of a business consultant and the student's interest in the field, followed by an analysis of the coursework's content. It covers the different types of business consulting, the importance of self-awareness and emotional intelligence, and the critical analysis of problems, including the use of design thinking. The report highlights the significance of organizational culture and frameworks like the McKinsey, BCG, and Ansoff matrices, along with their practical applications. The student reflects on the learning experience, including the use of case studies, classroom activities, and strategic models, and discusses the alignment of client needs with deliverable goals. The conclusion emphasizes the gap between classroom learning and practical experience, suggesting the need for apprenticeship programs and further field studies. The report also includes references to relevant literature.

Running head: BUSINESS CONSULTING
Business Consulting
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Discussion..................................................................................................................................2
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
References..................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
The job of a business consultant is to assist the clients into understanding the issue
that is creating a barrier to their success (Nikolova, Möllering and Reihlen 2015). These
issues could be anything. It could be bad organizational culture, unethical and immoral
practices, lack of employee motivation, attrition, absenteeism, strategic weakness, lack of
exposure and marketing, stagnancy, technical difficulties and many more. In the past few
years, the opinions of the organization leaders about the consultants have been mixed. Many
believe that it is better to create core team that would handle the issues of the organizational
while there are others that believe that experts can only handle certain matters efficiently.
Having said that, most seem to believe that only trusted and tested consultants should be
appointed for management of delicate issues otherwise it might cause further problems. I
have been always interested in pursuing a career in consulting field (Skjølsvik 2016).
Therefore, I decided to take a course that would enable me with the knowledge and skill, both
theoretical and practical, to become a successful consultant. In this report, the experience of
that coursework has been discussed. Along with that, the different theories and practical
frameworks that have facilitated my learning have been analyzed on the light of their
applicability in the practical field. Finally, the scope of new knowledge and further self-
development through similar courses has been explored.
Discussion
The course work provided detailed guide as well as technical knowledge on the work
of a business consultant. The course has been designed in such a way that the individuals
become a true professional in business consultation. A true professional always gets involved
in the situation, takes initiative to find solutions, and takes responsibility for the process

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(Lalonde and Adler 2015). They are seen to go to great extent to ensure that the job is
complete. They do not believe that anything is a problem; rather they look at the situation as
an opportunity, which can be used for better opportunities and change. The professional
business consultant must ensure that they listen to the client and observe them for any other
indicators of the problem that they are describing. They use the information provided by the
client to find out about the underlying cause of the problem and is not afraid of going out of
their assigned role to ensure that they deliver quality work. Their main goal is to ensure that
the client is satisfied with the outcome (Christensen, Wang and Bever 2013).
It has been seen through time that companies generally prefer their tried and tested
consultant in most situations. The greatest problem that aspiring new business consultants
face is the gap between the knowledge that they gather from their education and the situations
that arise in the real life scenarios. In this regard, this course was different. It not only gave us
theoretical knowledge about consulting but also on the practical frameworks and models that
would enable us to understand the problem more easily. The very first concept needed in this
regard is the typology of business consulting. There are five types, strategy consulting,
organizational consulting, HR consulting, functional consulting and IT consulting (Rosemann
and Brocke 2015). Understanding of this typology will allow me to categorize the problems
of the client and have a focused approach towards the problem. Other than this, the
understanding of the consultancy hierarchy allowed me to understand the roles of the
consultants and the way to achieve client satisfaction.
The most important concept that we learnt in this course was the idea of self-
awareness. It is widely accepted that self-learning is the basic learning. any professional
pursuing any discipline cannot hope to succeed if they are not aware of their own strengths
and weaknesses (Mohajan 2017). Emotional intelligence (EQ) is extremely necessary in a
professional field. With the understanding of my EQ, I will be able to work harder to

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overcome the barriers that might come due to my weaknesses. Using the self-evaluation tests,
I was able to understand them firsthand. I am actively trying to minimize the weaknesses that
I have.
The most important part of a consultation process is to analyze the problem critically
so that the requirements can be understood without any shadow of doubt. In this regard, the
most important aspect is interviewing the client, gathering facts from them, research for
additional facts and interpreting all those data into a meaningful decision. The course taught
me many ways of thinking, such as linear, literal, scientific, structured, systems thinking and
chaotic thinking. Among these, the most dynamic is the design thinking. This is based on a
double diamond process. The four steps for design thinking is discover, define, develop,
deliver. These steps too are interconnected and might travel forward and backward. This
enables the consultants to check their facts, concepts, solutions and prototypes without the
fear of failure. They are able to give several trials before they decide on an appropriate
model. This is new concept that I have learnt through the course (Hussain et al. 2013).
Earlier I followed structured thinking and believed that every problem has one perfect
solution and through analysis, it can be found. Through this model and subsequent discussion
with my peers I understood that every organization is different as is their problem. Looking at
every situation is something new to me, which I would not have been able to do earlier. The
classroom activities and case studies that we had to go through for learning purpose gave us
ample example of the scenarios that have occurred in organizations and how experts have
handled them. The consideration of culture and its profound impact on individuals and
organizations is also another thought that was underdeveloped in me. While looking at
situations differently, I was curious to find out about the reason that different people have
different perception of similar situations. Through observation and research, I learnt that
cultural influence might change one’s worldview and needs and desires. This gave me a

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deeper insight to the people’s mind. In practice, I will be able to consider the individual
culture while analyzing the situation.
Another issue that interested me in this course was the aspect of organizational
culture. While in a real-life consulting situation, a client might come a present an issue that
they need to be dealt immediately. Before the problem is analyzed and any viable solution is
proposed, the organizational culture needs to be considered. In most cases, the vision and
mission, the goals and objectives are taken as organizational culture, while in reality; it lies
far deeper than that. The regular practices, socialization, resource management practices,
supply management and work ethics all come together to form organizational culture (Gianos
2013). The course and the discussion with my teachers taught me that. Through my learning,
I have become empowered to create new knowledge. The concepts such as Mckinsey, BCG
matrix, Ansoff matrix equipped me with practical knowledge about how to evaluate the
organizations so that proper solutions can be delivered. These frameworks were taught in the
classroom using real company examples such as Apple, Google, Cannon and many more. We
were able to relate the learning with the practical examples. We first hand saw that how
analyzing the companies’ situation became easy after they were put into proper model. It was
challenging at first due to the difference in the thinking process and cultural influence. The
strengths for someone were considered weaknesses for the other. Later on, as we kept on
practicing and the teachers kept on explaining and assisting, the concept became clear.
The course also provided us with the ability to align the client needs and expectations
with deliverable goals. The practical examples showed us how the alignment could be
achieved. The very first thing that the consultants need to understand is whether the client
wants local solutions or global solutions (Alshaher 2013). In many cases, organization might
be built I such a way that the local approach is necessary. Understanding all these aspects has
helped me overcome the barriers that I earlier had. The learning experience that I received

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was dynamic. We were provided with, notes, presentations and journals that contributed to
our enhanced understanding. The activities and assessments that we took, also improved our
grasp on the theoretical as well as practical knowledge.
As the job of a professional business consultant mainly comprise of creating strategies
for the betterment of the organization, the understanding and the application of the strategic
model needs special mention. Through BCG portfolio, we were able to create the strategic
position of the companies. The most important factor here is to gather enough knowledge so
that we are able to create the whole matrix, client interview, employee interview, shareholder
meetings, stakeholders and consumers can provide ample data that help us build this matrix.
The solution here is to ask ample number of questions. Through this questioning method, the
problem as well as the possible solution becomes clear slowly (Lambert and Davidson 2013).
The business model canvas helps us to identify the different sources of information from
company relation. The consultants make explanatory models prior to making solution. The
solutions are generally based on this model. This model varies from company to company
and thus, does the solutions. It is necessary that whatever the consultants propose, they are
simple. Without simplicity, the solution remains unattainable. We learnt through the course
that the consultants must also ensure that they are monitoring the progress after the solution
has been given and modify them. This requires a feedback process which is a must for every
successful consulting project.
If I take any similar course in future, I will engage more into group discussion, a very
important activity that builds knowledge and fosters learning. Taking the opportunity, I will
also research more extensively about the different companies that availed the services of
consultants and emerged successful. Further higher study will also enable me to engage in
field study where I will be able to talk to the managers of the organizations so that I can

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gather knowledge about their experience and take proper feedback. Using that data, I will
improve my capabilities so that I am able to practice in this field successfully.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while the discussion shows that the course has provided with necessary
learning in this field, the gap between classroom and practical field of practice cannot be
minimized through institutionalized learning. In that regard, an apprenticeship program that
would provide us with real scenarios, where we would be able to observe other experts at
work will prove much beneficial.

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References
Alshaher, A.A.F., 2013. The McKinsey 7S model framework for e-learning system readiness
assessment. International Journal of Advances in Engineering & Technology, 6(5), p.1948.
Christensen, C.M., Wang, D. and Van Bever, D., 2013. Consulting on the Cusp of
Disruption. Harvard business review, 91(10), pp.106-114.
Gianos, J.F., 2013. A Brief Introduction to Ansoffian Theory and the Optimal Strategic
Performance-positioning Matrix on Small Business (OSPP). Journal of Management
Research, 5(2), p.107.
Hussain, S., Khattak, J., Rizwan, A. and Latif, M.A., 2013. ANSOFF matrix, environment,
and growth-an interactive triangle. Management and Administrative Sciences Review, 2(2),
pp.196-206.
Lalonde, C. and Adler, C., 2015. Information asymmetry in process consultation: An
empirical research on leader-client/consultant relationship in healthcare
organizations. Leadership & organization development Journal, 36(2), pp.177-211.
Lambert, S.C. and Davidson, R.A., 2013. Applications of the business model in studies of
enterprise success, innovation and classification: An analysis of empirical research from 1996
to 2010. European management journal, 31(6), pp.668-681.
Mohajan, H., 2017. An analysis on BCG Growth sharing matrix.
Nikolova, N., Möllering, G. and Reihlen, M., 2015. Trusting as a ‘leap of faith’: Trust-
building practices in client–consultant relationships. Scandinavian Journal of
Management, 31(2), pp.232-245.

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Rosemann, M. and vom Brocke, J., 2015. The six core elements of business process
management. In Handbook on business process management 1 (pp. 105-122). Springer,
Berlin, Heidelberg.
Skjølsvik, T., 2016. Business-to-business professional service relationships under multiple
logics. The Service Industries Journal, 36(5-6), pp.163-182.