Knowledge, skills and personality of the effective business consultant

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper to describe the effective business consultant's most desirable characteristics.Design/methodology/approachDevelopment of propositions based on a review of the literature, anecdotal reports and the experience of the authors.FindingsThe effective business consultant should possess functional knowledge as well as knowledge of an industry, communication and analytical skills, creativity, strategic and tactical leadership abilities, and a set of personality traits that includes emotional stability, intellect, integrity and openness and agreeableness.Practical implicationsHR departments and training units in consulting firms may use the profile of the effective consultant as a tool in their selection and training procedures, as well as in matching consultants with clients. Consulting services clients may use the profile of the effective consultant to identify effective consulting service providers. Consultants may use the recommendations as a source for individual growth. Universities and business schools may use the study to improve training of future consultants.Originality/valueThe paper sets a research agenda for the study of the effective business consultant's characteristics.

Empathy as an essential skill for talent development consultants

“…Banai and Tulimieri (2013) offer that definitions of business consultants have focused on the tasks consultants perform rather than characteristics, making it necessary to explore consultants’ essential elements for a more accurate definition. They offer that knowledge, skills, abilities and personality are the defining elements of a business consultant.…”

“…Consequently, what makes an ideal consultant for talent development (CTD) is further complicated as business consulting has a mixed reputation (Furusten, 2012) where consultants have been called “charlatans” and “snake-oil salesmen” (Bouwmeester and Stiekema, 2015, p. 2433). Research on what makes an effective business consultant is largely anecdotal (Banai and Tulimieri, 2013); however, researchers have identified functional knowledge and knowledge of an industry, communication and analytical skills, creativity, leadership abilities and positive personality traits as common characteristics of successful consultants (Banai and Tulimieri, 2013; Bouwmeester and Stiekema, 2015). Additionally, the Association for Talent Development (ATD) includes emotional intelligence and decision-making, collaboration and leadership, cultural awareness and inclusion, project management, compliance and ethical behavior and lifelong learning in their Talent Development Capability Model (Association for Talent Development, 2020b).…”

“…those provided by the ATD), the lack of a widely adopted credentialing system has led to skepticism in the sector. Despite the reoccurrence of soft skills in consulting literature, studies have lacked scientific exploration (Banai and Tulimieri, 2013) of characteristics and have not considered how soft skills in the corporate classroom are weighed against functional and industry knowledge. Literature paints a fractured picture of ideal consultants.…”

Competitions Versus Classes: Exploring the Impact of Case Competitions and Communication Coursework on MBA Ranking

“…From an employer perspective, several studies have established that good communication capabilities are necessary for successfully managing employees, for both emerging and developing leaders, and for effective consulting (Andrews & Higson, 2008; Bakker-Pieper & de Vries, 2013; Banai & Tulimieri, 2013; de Vries, Bakker-Pieper, & Oostenveld, 2010; Ensari, Riggio, Christian, & Carslaw, 2011; Hunt & Baruch, 2003; Mast, Jonas, Cronauer, & Darioly, 2012; Riggio, Riggio, Salinas, & Cole, 2003; Robles, 2012). Reinsch and Gardner (2014) explored reasons given by executives in promotion decisions.…”

Crossing cultural boundaries : transfer of management knowledge and skills between organisational cultures

“…He considers Russia as a nation with a unilateral culture. Banai and Tulimieri (2013) Despite a large number of studies, there still are some uncertainties regarding the entrepreneurship. The definition of entrepreneurship and an entrepreneur still generates debates (Low, 2001).…”