Professional Certificate in Consulting
Participants in the program acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, tools and models needed to develop and facilitate executive, creative, technical and organizational solutions in the ever-changing business environment. Upon completion of the Professional Certificate in Consulting, participants will be able to help clients achieve business objectives by:
- providing expert guidance for implementing new structures
- improving processes
- facilitating learning
- aligning organizational assets to drive high-performance results
Participants gain a thorough understanding of the theories, concepts and skills needed to consult successfully within any organizational setting.
The educational component of the program consists of a series of learning modules organized into four main content areas (see below). A learning module is a class that meets once a week for three to nine weeks. Each session is 90 minutes long. Course requirements include additional readings, written assignments and field practice.
Consulting Curriculum at a Glance
Section 1: Introduction to Organizational Consulting
- Defines consulting and describes how it differs from other ways of working
- Describes the difference between internal and external consultants and provides guidelines on when it is most appropriate to use each
- Addresses how to go about organizing for consulting and lays out the different roles a consultant may play
Section 2: Theoretical Perspectives
- Lays out essential theoretical frameworks for consulting with special consideration given to systems theory and the importance of structure in organizations
- Discusses the four essential skills that every effective consultant should have
- Provides a grounding in strategy development through the strategic inquiry method
Section 3: Consulting Engagement Lifecycle
- Explores the typical and predictable stages of forming a client-consultant relationship
- Outlines the stages of the consulting engagement lifecycle
Section 4: Success, Failure, Growth and Political Behavior & Strategies
- Addresses a number of situations in which every consultant will find him – or herself
- Describes potential problems and reviews strategies for dealing with them
- Discusses how to continually improve effectiveness as a consultant
- Explores consulting as a style of working and how this style can be effective in a wide variety of professional roles
