Courses

Essentials of Management Consulting

Dynamic and interactive, the Essentials of Management Consulting (EMC) course is valuable to management consultants wanting to deliver superior value to their clients, to anyone who is considering becoming a management consultant, to those looking to fine-tune or supplement their management consulting toolkit and skills, and to any member who is pursuing the Certified Management Consultant (CMC) designation.

The Essentials of Management Consulting focuses on three core consulting competencies:

• Helping clients assess their current situation, including the business challenges and opportunities they can address to improve upon the present.
• Helping clients develop strategies for growth and development.
• Helping clients address change management processes while implementing recommendations.

To develop your strengths in these areas, the course covers:

• The five stages of the consulting process and the deliverables associated with each stage.
• Introduction to consulting tools and techniques used during the various stages of the consulting process especially in Diagnosis and Action Planning.
• The importance of considering all six functional areas of organization management (Human Resources, Strategic Planning, Finance, Operations, Information Technology, and Marketing) during a consulting assignment.
• Teamwork using Tuckman's forming, storming, norming, performing (and adjourning) model, including teambuilding tools and techniques and opportunities for both co-located and virtual teamwork activities.
• Client Communications, including simulated milestone presentations and meetings with a client and key written reports associated with the consulting process.
• Change Management, including tools and techniques related to assessing change readiness and understanding absorptive capacity.

The Essentials of Management Consulting is blended courses and is offered online. The course has 2 components: a self-paced online module to be completed first and then 6 live virtual classroom sessions. The virtual classroom component is 6 weeks in length. Each virtual classroom is 3hrs in length, however budget additional time each week to complete the assignments and group work. 

Online Version: Details

"The technical platform for the course was excellent - I really felt that we bonded as a team and worked well together; the technology did not get in the way of that at all. Kudos. Lastly, I had a great team experience, very diverse in terms of expertise and all hard workers. Thanks."
- Caroline Dickens, Export Development Canada, Ottawa, Ontario

We Use A Blended Learning Approach

Using a blended learning approach allows us to use a variety of media to optimize your learning. There will be an online module that needs to be completed before you start your virtual classroom sessions.

We Use a Case Study

Simulation is the most effective way to expose you to the dynamics of the client as well as many other aspects of the management consulting process. So we have organized the course around a case study, in which you and your team actually conduct a client consulting assignment, complete with deliverables and deadlines that are real. We extend the case study concept by providing some simulated interaction with the client in each phase of the consulting process.

We Do Team-Based Learning

Management Consulting is a fast-growing competitive sector at the forefront of the multi-billion dollar knowledge-based services industry. Consultants are increasingly required to work with global consulting teams and to use technology as a major tool to complete assignments. The Essentials course helps you fine-tune your collaborative skills while you acquire the knowledge and techniques needed to deliver superior value to clients.

You will be assigned to a team that works together using virtual meetings and email to complete the consulting assignment. You will have the opportunity to interact with other consultants, some of whom may consult in different areas of specialization from yours and/or have more or less consulting experience than you.

You will be evaluated as a team on the case study deliverables. In addition to contributing to the deliverables, each participant will be expected to complete the online module, achieve 80% or greater on attendance of the virtual classroom sessions and complete a 360 degree team feedback in order to complete the program. Participants who successfully complete the program will receive a certificate of completion. 

Warning this course is hard work!

This course represents a significant commitment to learning equivalent to a second year graduate MBA course in depth and amount of material covered. Successful participants have reported a minimum effort of 5-8 hours per week on reading and applying themselves to work on deliverables in addition to weekly team meetings and the instructor course sessions.

Aside from individual effort, the course revolves around application of learnings almost exclusively through teamwork. As a team you will work through the five stages of the consulting process working on a simulated assignment which requires a series of significant consulting deliverables. Your ability to work collaboratively and constructively in a team with an unfamiliar group of other consultants (who will all have their own ideas on how to complete the tasks in front of you) will be a large determinant of your learning success and enjoyment of this program.

If you are prepared to work hard, you will succeed and be rewarded. Past participants have confirmed the old adage: "You get out of something what you put in to it."

What Are the Pre-requisites for the EMC?

The course administration is delivered through our online learning platform SmarterU. When you register for the course, our staff will enrol you in the course components on the SmarterU portal. You'll have to create your own profile there. You'll be able to see the upcoming course sessions and the self-paced online module.

We use Zoom Meetings for the online meetings. Zoom supports Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS operating systems. For a complete list of system requirements for your Operating System, please visit the following website: https://support.zoom.us

In order to participate fully in the Zoom online meetings, you will need a reliable internet connection, a working webcam and computer microphone, a headset mic is not necessary but produces better sound. Participants are expected to talk and engage during the virtual classroom sessions just as conveniently as you would in a regular 'in-person' class. Make sure you test your camera and mic set up before the first class, as your attendance marks depend on your participation! 

Additionally, for the group work and assignments, you'll need to have access to and use standard business tools to produce documents, financial statements and/or other reports.

Course Text and Support Materials

Electronic materials/handouts are included in the course fee. 

Additional Notes

Please note that course payment is due upon registration. Substitutions are accepted with appropriate fee adjustment. Course deferral to a future date is subject to a $200 (plus tax) set-up fee.