Consultancy Skills for Social Researchers

Description:

This one day workshop will give social researchers practical insight into management and process consultancy tools and techniques. The aim is to equip participants with a further dimension to their research skills, recognising that many social research projects either include a consulting element or would benefit from consulting capability – at inception, execution or dissemination stages.

Objectives

By the end of the workshop, delegates will:

• understand what is meant by ‘consulting’ and recognise how it relates to research;
• be familiar with the competencies and capabilities expected of a proficient consultant;
• understand their own preferred consulting style links; and
• understand the main tools and frameworks used by consultants and, by knowing their relationship with organisation contexts/dynamics, when to use them.

Topics

Content includes:

• Exploration of what is meant by ‘consulting’ (including the difference between process and expert consulting, and using recognised definitions).
• How consulting fits with other intervention styles (including coaching and counselling) and a reflection on personal intervention styles.
• The various stages of the consultancy journey, linking this to a recognised consulting competencies framework.
• Exploration and practice with consulting frameworks. These include analysis frameworks (including SWOT, McKinsey 7S, PRIMO – F), change models (Egan, Lewin, and Kotter) together will planning process aids (gap analysis/strategic canvas and force field analysis) and implementation focused models Kubler-Ross loss curve and the cultural web).

We’ll use a case study during part of the workshop and there will be a small element of pre-course work for participants.

Who will benefit?

Researchers and research managers looking to develop their consultancy skills.

Learning outcomes

The workshop will provide participants with an understanding of what consultancy involves and the range of techniques and frameworks which consultants draw upon in their work. Key learning outcomes are the insight the workshop provides into participants’ own consulting styles and knowledge of when and how to use the various frameworks and tools.

Course tutor

The workshop will be facilitated by SRA member and social research firm director Dr Simon Haslam. Simon has twenty years consulting experience with clients spanning the public, private and voluntary sectors. This experience covers single-person consulting assignments and assignments involving consulting teams, including strategy consulting work with a recent Queen’s Award winning organisation). He is a Fellow of the Institute of Business Consulting, a Chartered Management Consultant and his PhD explored practices of management consultants.

Simon regularly delivers workshops on this and related subjects for a range of bodies including the Institute of Directors, the Law Society, IDM Group, and Durham Business School – where he is a Visiting Fellow. He is part of a 2008 UK National Training Award winning team.

Cost:

£260 but SRA members get a 25% discount and pay £195

Website and registration:

www.the-sra.org.uk/training

Region:

Greater London

Keywords:

Consultancy Skills

Related publications and presentations:

Consultancy Skills

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