Consultation Strategy Action Plan

Nearly all organizations desire to achieve success. Despite their best efforts, many organizations suffer poor performance that threatens their future. Some organizations adopt internal mechanisms in an effort to revamp their performance. There are others which understand that the internal mechanisms are not sufficient. The latter group of companies turns to consulting experts who offer insights into how to resolve the challenges that they face. In their article, Jay Finkelman and Patricia Lopez shed light on the important functions that consulting experts perform in reviving the fortunes of ailing organizations. They note that these experts enable organizations to navigate the complex contexts in which they operate (Finkelman & Lopez, 2012). The authors also point out the need for the consulting experts to exercise caution and be mindful of legal and ethical issues when rendering advice to companies. McDoogle Manufacturing Company faces challenges that require the involvement of a consulting expert. For these challenges to be addressed, the company needs to overhaul its quality assurance systems.

Background 

Details of McDoogle Manufacturing Company are found in the first case study. McDoogle is a major player in the manufacturing industry. In the recent past, the company has been facing challenges in satisfying the demands of its clients. The clients complain that the firm’s products fall short of their quality standards. In recognition of the danger that the complaints pose to the company’s image and profitability, the firm conducted an investigation. The initial results of the investigation reveal that the problem does not lie in the technology that the firm sells to its customers. The firm wishes to address the customer complaints before they pose a serious threat. In the discussion that follows, an overview of the qualifications and competencies of the consulting firm is offered. This overview is intended to shed light on what makes the company the most qualified to help McDoogle address the problems that it is confronted with.

Consultation strategy 

Company and individual consulting skills 

As Finkelman and Lopez reveal in their article, the business of consulting is fraught with ethical and legal issues that players in this business must be versed with. For a consulting firm to be effective in delivering helpful insights to companies, it needs to possess certain skills and competencies. Rajneesh Chowdhury addresses these competencies in his article. He identifies teamwork and collaboration as among the skills that consulting companies and individuals need to possess (Chowdhury, 2012). The consultant should be able to work with their client to address the challenges that the client faces. Instead of imposing their own solutions, the consultants need to listen carefully to the concerns that the client raises. They should base their recommended interventions on the insights that the client shares. Maureen Dollard and Jacqueline Gordon reiterate the importance of collaboration. In their article, they point out that team building facilitates organizational growth (Dollard & Gordon, 2014). They essentially suggest that for a consulting company to be effective, it needs to join forces with other stakeholders. As it works with McDoogle, the consulting company will place weight on its capacity to collaborate and promote teamwork. It is hoped that placing focus on this capacity will win the trust and confidence of McDoogle.

Collaboration can only go so far in enabling a consulting company to render helpful advice. This competency should be combined with effective change management. The importance of change management is the main focus of an article that Rune Todnem and his colleagues authored. In the article, they shed light on the vital role that change management plays in facilitating organizational growth. They recognize that leaders need to offer direction and to place the interests of their organizations above personal desires (Todnem, Burnes & Oswick, 2012). As it approaches McDoogle, the consulting company will highlight its commitment to change management. Furthermore, the company will assure McDoogle that its primary focus will be to safeguard the interests of the company.

The culture of an organization is one of the factors that shape its performance. An organization that has embraced a culture that promotes productivity and employee commitment allows the organization to experience growth. This is the key argument that Pirjol Florentina and Maxim Georgiana present in their article. He contends that “organizational culture (shapes) the success of an enterprise” (Florentina & Georgiana, 2012). This argument sheds light on the need for consulting companies to foster healthy and effective organizational cultures. In negotiations with McDoogle, the consulting company will tout its commitment to positive organizational culture. This competency will assure McDoogle that if it implements the strategies that the consulting company recommends, it will witness an improvement in its culture and a resolution of the challenges that it is confronted with.

Strategies for approaching company 

The skills and competencies identified above will undoubtedly enable the consulting company to gain the trust of McDoogle. There is need for the company to develop strategies that it will use to approach McDoogle. These strategies should be such that they enable the consulting company to gain the attention of McDoogle. Placing focus on the consulting company’s experience, competency and expertise is the primary strategy that will be relied on. The consulting company will present the competencies that make it qualified to address the issues that McDoogle faces. For example, the consulting company will assure McDoogle that it recognizes the importance of collaboration and teamwork. As it reminds McDoogle of its dedication to the needs of clients and collaboration, the consulting company will be positioning itself above other consulting companies that are bidding to work with McDoogle.

The implementation of change can be a costly undertaking. This is one of the reasons why some firms refuse to embrace change. It is indeed possible that McDoogle will be hesitant to accept the services of the consulting company. To assure McDoogle that the company is well-equipped and prepared to help it address its issues, the consulting company will promise to deliver results at a low cost. This promise will convince McDoogle to embrace the ideas that the consulting company presents. Another strategy that the consulting company will rely on involves citing previous works. People and organizations tend to trust companies with vast experience in certain areas. Dollard and Gordon underscore the importance of experience when attempting to solve the problems that organizations grapple with. In their article, they note that they conducted a cohort study with the aim of evaluating the impact of an intervention. They chose to conduct a cohort study because it is the main tool that businesses rely on to gain insights into how effective programs are (Dollard & Gordon, 2014). It can be argued that Dollard and Gordon gained the trust of the organizations because of the experience that they possess in understanding how business operations are conducted. The experience suggests that the concerned company understands how to tackle certain problems. Therefore, as it presents its experience, the consulting company will be able to convince McDoogle that it is sufficiently versed with the manufacturing challenges that it (McDoogle) faces and that it is able to develop appropriate and effective solutions.

Contract 

When McDoogle accepts the consulting company’s offer to help solve its problems, the two firms will enter into a contractual agreement. Given below is a sample contract.

Consultancy Agreement 

This consultancy agreement requires the consulting company (hereinafter referred to as the consultant) to investigate the cause of the customer complaints that McDoogle Manufacturing Company (hereinafter referred to as McDoogle) has been experiencing. The agreement takes effect from 16 th January 2018. The consultant and McDoogle agree to be bound by the following terms:

Engagement and services 

McDoogle engages the consultant to help it address the manufacturing and customer relations challenges that it faces. The main mandate of the consultant will be to investigate the cause of these challenges. The consultant will also be expected to develop and present recommendations for addressing the challenges.

For the entire term of the contract, the consultant will be required to provide the tools needed to perform obligations. McDoogle may provide these tools upon request. McDoogle permits the consultant to engage other stakeholders on its behalf on issues concerning the mandate of the consultant.

Consultancy period 

This contract takes effect from 16 th January 2017. McDoogle reserves the right and authority to terminate the contract without cause provided notice is issued to the consultant within 14 days. Upon the termination of the contract, the consultant will be relieved of his obligations and will only be owed the fees and expenses for the amount of work performed.

Consultancy fee and expenses 

McDoogle agrees to pay the consultant $250,000 for the entire consultancy project. The consultant will be expected to bear any costs that arise from the work done.

Interference with business 

The consultant is not to engage in any activities that compromise its obligation to McDoogle. The consultant is also not to share any information or material gained from its engagement with McDoogle following the end or termination of the contractual agreement.

McDoogle and the consultant are required to honor their obligations as spelt out in this contract.

Signature Signature

Consultant McDoogle

Date Date

Intervention action plan 

Description and rationale of assessment tools 

Upon reviewing the situation at McDoogle, the consulting company will proceed to develop an intervention action plan. This plan will outline the steps that the consulting company wishes to take to address the problems at McDoogle. One of the key elements of the action plan is the identification of the tools to be used to determine the problems that McDoogle faces. Interviewing employees regarding their experience with customers is the main assessment tool that will be used. The employees will be asked to describe the concerns that the clients raise. In the case study, it is mentioned that the clients complain that the products of McDoogle are not compatible with their systems. Interviewing the employees has been selected because it promises to shed light on the exact nature of the problem that the company faces. Since they interact with the customers, the employees are best placed to offer insights into the complaints that the customers have raised.

In addition to interviewing the employees, the consulting company will also carry out direct observation. The main benefit of direct observation is that it allows for unfiltered and primary insights to be gained. As it observes the operations of McDoogle directly, the consulting company will be able to gain a better understanding of the problems that are plaguing the company. The main rationale for the selection of direct observation as an assessment tool is the fact that it allows for direct examination of McDoogle’s processes. As has already been stated, the main problem that McDoogle faces is customer complaints regarding the compatibility of the company’s products with the systems of the customers. Since they are the primary victims of the problem, the customers possess vital information that could shed light on how to address the problem. Therefore, with the permission of McDoogle, the consulting company will speak with the customers regarding their experience with McDoogle’s products.

Interventions for change 

After conducting its own assessment, McDoogle has established that its technology is not the source of the problems that it faces. In the case study, it is stated that McDoogle is a subsidiary of a larger company that is involved in the development of electronic components. That McDoogle is not a fully independent company but a subsidiary could be the cause of the company’s woes. Fragmentation is one of the challenges that many industries grapple with today. Essentially, fragmentation involves breaking down the production process such that it is difficult to ensure consistency and adherence to common standards (Price, 2016). This problem is particularly prevalent in the smartphone industry where different companies develop different components. For example, Google makes the Android operating system that runs on millions of smartphones. These smartphones are the products of such companies as Samsung, Sony and many others. The fact that the different components of the smartphones are made by different companies raises issues of compatibility (Price, 2016). It is indeed possible that McDoogle and its parent company use different systems and standards which are responsible for the compatibility issues. The adoption of common standards and manufacturing procedures is an intervention that promises to address the problem of compatibility. McDoogle and the parent company should standardize their processes and operations so that the products become compatible with the current systems of the users.

Chaos and conflicts are some of the challenges that organizations which are part of larger companies grapple with. This is especially so if the companies pursue conflicting visions. The case study mentions that the problems that McDoogle faces began soon after the company’s acquisition. This is no coincidence. It is clear that the relationship between McDoogle and its parent company is the source of the problems. An argument can be made that McDoogle and its parenting company are pursuing conflicting priorities and objectives. For example, it could be that McDoogle is under pressure from the parenting company to maximize sales. To achieve higher sales, McDoogle may have abandoned quality assurance procedures to fast-track the production process. Should it be revealed that the failure to follow quality assurance guidelines as a result of pressure from the parent company, the consulting company will advise McDoogle to review its relationship with the parent company. Demanding greater autonomy and control over the production process is one of the strategies that the company may pursue. This strategy will enable McDoogle to reinstate its commitment to the quality that its customers expect.

Implementation action plan 

For the strategies recommended above to be effective, it is important for a detailed action plan to be developed. The first step will involve a thorough investigation of the processes at McDoogle. The purpose of the investigation will be to determine conclusively the cause of the company’s struggles. Focus will be given to the quality control mechanisms at the company. It is hoped that the investigation will reveal if the company has abandoned quality control. A review of the relationship between McDoogle and its parent company is another step that will be taken. The documents that detail the relationship between the two companies will receive particular focus. They will be reviewed with the goal of establishing if McDoogle lacks the authority that it needs to ensure proper quality control. These steps will be undertaken within the first week.

The steps described above should reveal the exact cause of the problems at McDoogle. With the cause identified, the next step will be to fix the problem. If it is determined that the problems are the result of fragmentation, steps will be taken to streamline the production process at McDoogle. The key milestone that the consulting company hopes to achieve is to develop standardized production processes at the parent company and McDoogle. The new standardized process will be developed during the two weeks following the evaluation of the existing processes. In the following list, the steps that are to be undertaken and their respective timelines are identified. The list also contains the milestones that the consulting company expects to achieve.

Activity	Timeline
Review of relationship with parent company Milestone: it is established that the relationship denies McDoogle the authority needed to ensure quality production.	First week
Evaluation of McDoogle production operations. Milestone: it is determined that the operations do not integrate quality control measures.	Next two weeks after review of relationship with parent company.
Pushing for greater autonomy for McDoogle.	Immediately after review of production operations.
Adoption of enhanced quality control processes.	6 weeks into the consultancy process.
Review of performance of new quality control processes. Milestone: the new processes vastly improve the quality of products.	By week 8
Obtaining customer feedback. Milestone: Customers share that the compatibility issues have been addressed.	3 months after start of consultancy.

Ethical dilemmas 

When consulting companies offer advice to organizations, they need to be mindful of ethical issues. Cost concerns are among these issues. Finkelman and Lopez (2012) mention that companies tend to opt for cheap approaches at the expense of such other issues as quality and the wellbeing of their employees. As it works with McDoogle, the consulting company will need to understand that McDoogle may find the implementation of its recommendations to be too costly. For example, McDoogle may be hesitant to adopt new quality control measures because of the high costs that this strategy comes with. To address these ethical issues, the consulting company needs to remind McDoogle of the benefits that it is set to gain upon the adoption of the recommendations. For instance, after implementing the quality control measures, McDoogle is likely to witness positive customer sentiment.

The lack of clear and unified guidelines on consulting is another ethical dilemma that organizations face (Finkelman & Lopez, 2012). Consulting companies face conflicting demands from different quarters. For example, the consulting company working with McDoogle will face pressure from McDoogle to deliver. The company may also face pressure from a professional organization that regulates the consulting industry. Finkelman and Lopez offer recommendations for resolving this ethical dilemma. They advise that companies should embrace a “value-driven approach” (Finkelman & Lopez, 2012). Essentially, this means that the consulting company may be forced to ignore the pressure from McDoogle and other parties. Its main driving force should be the values and principles that govern the consulting industry.

The culture of an organization defines its operations and processes to a significant extent. Consulting companies must consider the organizational culture when working with firms. Culture conflict is one of the ethical dilemmas that the consulting companies often face (Finkelman & Lopez, 2012). The consulting company may be forced to make recommendations that are in conflict with the culture of the organization. This conflict can occur as the consulting company engages with McDoogle. For example, one of the recommendations that the consulting company should present is reviewing the relationship between McDoogle and the parent company. The implementation of this recommendation may set McDoogle on a confrontational path with the parent company. It could be that as part of its organizational culture, McDoogle has embraced pacifism and cordial relations with its stakeholders. This example shows that the recommendations that the consulting company offers may be in conflict with McDoogle’s culture. To solve this challenge, Finkelman and Lopez (2012) recommend that consulting companies should align their recommendations to the cultures and realities of the companies that they are working with.

Evaluating effectiveness of intervention 

The ultimate objective of the consultancy is to address the complaints that McDoogle’s customers have raised. It is important to monitor progress to ensure that this objective has been met. Seeking the thoughts of the leaders of McDoogle is one of the steps that will be taken as part of the evaluation process. The leaders are intimately involved in the consultancy process. They understand the needs of McDoogle and are able to determine if the recommended strategies have been effective. If the leaders agree that the strategies have been effective, their sentiments can be taken as indication that the consulting company has executed its mandate successfully. Monitoring the financial performance of McDoogle is another measure that will be instituted to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies. It is expected that the recommended strategies will resolve the customer complaints. This will result in an increase in sales which will boost the financial performance of McDoogle. Improved customer satisfaction is another metric that will offer insights into the effectiveness of the strategies. If there is a decline in customer complaints, it will be concluded that the recommendation have been effective.

Conclusion 

When they are confronted with a crisis, firms need to move with speed to develop solutions. McDoogle faces a challenge that demands an urgent solution. The company’s customers are lamenting that its products are not compatible with their current systems. If it fails to address the concerns that the customers have raised, McDoogle risks losing these customers. The company should begin with an evaluation of its current systems and practices. This review should reveal the causes of the problems that afflict the company. Having identified the causes, the firm should proceed and implement the recommended strategies. These strategies promise to restore customer confidence and shield the company against financial troubles.

References

Chowdhury, R. (2012). Organizational Design and Firm-Wide Collaboration: Retrospective Appreciation of a Change-Led Consulting Intervention in India within a Systems Thinking Paradigm. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 29, 402-419.

Dollard, M. F. & Gordon, J. A. (2014). Evaluation of a Participatory Risk Management Work Stress Intervention. International Journal of Stress Management, 21 (1), 27-42.

Finkelman, J. & Lopez, P. D. (2012). Global Consulting in a Culturally Diverse World:

Ethical and Legal Implications. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 64 (4), 307-324.

Florentina, P. & Georgiana, M. R. (2012). Organizational Culture and its Way of Expression Within the Organization. The Journal of the Faculty of Economics, 1 (2), 371-376.

Price, R. (2016). Google Reportedly Plans to ‘Shame’ Smartphone Makers to Fix one of the Worst Problems with Android. Retrieved 13 th January 2018 from

http://uk.businessinsider.com/google-plans-to-shame-smartphone-manufacturers-over-fragmentation-report-android-2016-5?IR=T 

Todnem, R., Burnes, B. & Oswick, C. (2012). Change Management: Leadership, Values and Ethics. Journal of Change Management, 12 (1), 1-5.