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Role of the Consultant Working with people and working with teams are the basic functions in business today. There is increasing demand for people to work in teams, and this applies not only to HR personnel but to almost every department in almost every significant organization. Personal and interpersonal skills are critical for people to learn and develop for career advancement and success. The link between human relationships and a consultant is strong because successful consultants learn to manage relationships. Successful consultants learn to leverage structure, strategy, and, of course, technology—which today we rely heavily upon—to achieve specific goals.

Whenever you give directions or provide instructions to people but have no direct power over people, you are acting as a consultant. The HR department is a great example of a group of people who work closely with others within their organization but have no direct management control over people whom they support on a daily basis.

An HR professional provides support to people and departments by providing information, recommendations, planning, training, and assistance and thus fulfills the role of a consultant. Employees, managers, and departments often rely on the HR department for support, thus fulfilling their role as clients to the HR consultant. Using interpersonal skills, the HR agents seek to influence clients through indirect control, meaning that they can influence others through their role as consultant but do not direct others since they lack direct control that a manager or supervisor has.

Since HR personnel lack direct control, they must learn to use influence by acting as a consultant and not as a manager. The consultant must be careful not to cross over the line by giving orders, directives, or commands. At the same time, the consultant seeks to influence others with the goal of making positive change.

Consultant vs. Manager

Consultant Manager

Aligns with a firm’s policies and procedures Gives orders, directives, or commands

Influences through collaboration Influences through power and/or authority

Provides information to support Provides information to achieve objectives

Has no power and/or control over people Has direct power and/or control over people

Gives advice Gives directives/orders

South University

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Has no authority or responsibility for objectives Has full authority and/or responsibility to meet objectives

Additional Materials

From your course textbook Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used, read the following chapter:

A Consultant by Any Other Name . . .

From the South University Online Library, read the following articles:

Resourceful Consulting: Working with Your Presence and Identity in Consulting to Change

Designing Organizational Structures: Key Thoughts for Development

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South University

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Organizational Structure An organizational structure is the arrangement of hierarchy within an organization, which includes how the factors of communications, authority, responsibility, roles, and power are arranged and managed. An organizational structure explains how information and communication flow throughout a firm and defines how a firm’s structure depends upon its strategies and goals. In addition, an organizational structure explains how employees are grouped into departments and how departments operate within a firm and includes how systems are used to support effective communication, integration, and coordination of departments throughout the organization.

An organizational structure is the arrangement of reporting hierarchy (who reports to whom) and is typically illustrated with an organizational chart. Organizational charts are visual demonstrations of the processes and activities that take place in a firm. Organizational charts display the number of levels of hierarchy and the span of control for managers. Span of control is the number of direct reports and the number of functions or things for which a manager is responsible. Employees can study an organizational chart to see how they fit in with the strategy of the organization, understand how parts of the organization fit together, and understand how the company works. Organizing workers into groups that report to a manager provides structure for positions and activities that align and promote the goals of the organization.

Organization Structure Review the zoom icon to view the enlarged image.

Every organization should be structured in such a way that provides both horizontal and vertical flows of information. An improper structure will restrict the flow of information. Employees will have too little information to act upon, causing poor execution and effectiveness as employees’ ability to execute their duties are diminished. There are factors to consider between horizontal and vertical flows of information. Vertical flows are effective for control, while horizontal linkages are effective for coordination that requires reduced control. Organizations are encouraged to remain flexible and support a structure that provides horizontal information to employees where and when needed.

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Additional Materials

From your course textbook Organization Theory and Design, read the following chapter:

Fundamentals of Organization Structure

From the South University Online Library, read the following article:

The Structure of an Organization: Does It Influence Workplace Deviance and Its' Dimensions? And to What Extent? 