Overview

Professionals from many different disciplines now serve as internal consultants to leaders, managers, and teams in their organizations. Their role is to help clients to achieve a specific outcome, desired by that client or the organization. The process of consulting always involves facilitating change; technical, organizational, or behavioral. An internal consultant’s ability to influence strategy, tactics, decisions and behavior is based both on expertise and relationships. Consulting on the inside requires walking a fine line between being an insider with knowledge of the culture and the business and an outsider with a more objective view and broad knowledge.

In this workshop, based on the book, Consulting on the Inside: A Practical Guide for Internal Consultants by Beverly Scott and B. Kim Barnes (ASTD Press, 2011), participants will develop a greater understanding of their role, the consulting process, and how to use specific skills and tools to create an effective and successful internal consulting practice.

Objectives & Outcomes:

Participants Will:

• Identify consulting roles that are the best fit for you and your organization
• Gain tips and approaches to building and developing your internal consulting practice
• Apply the Consulting Process Model to your own organization consulting initiatives
• Practice key behavioral skills that contribute to consulting success
• Assess your level of consulting mastery and establish clear development goals.

Who Should Participate?

Anyone with an internal consulting role and/or responsibilities in fields such as Human Resources, Finance, Strategy, Change Management, Internal Auditing, Information Technology, Organization Development, Human Factors, or Training and Development.

Content Outline:

Introduction, Overview, Definitions

• Establish a climate for learning and clarify expectations
• Establish a common set of definitions and challenges

Opening Exercise

• Real-time baseline consulting experience and feedback

The Phases of Consulting

• Review and brief discussion of each phase
• Apply phases to listed challenges

Early Phase Skill Practice

• Structured practice in Contact, Agreement, and Information/Assessment phases

Influencing your Client

• Review and practice Exercising Influence behavior model
• Use Influence Framework as a planning tool for later phases
• Develop influence goals appropriate to internal consulting opportunities

Later Phases Skill Practice

• Structured practice in Feedback, Alignment and Transition Strategies phases
• Feedback and review based on Exercising Influence model

Your Role and Consulting Practice

• Review competency assessment and discuss next steps to design your role and build skills
• Discuss self-management: The five challenges

Commitments and closing

Consulting on the Inside™ is a copyrighted program of Barnes & Conti Associates, Inc