<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: High-Impact Consulting
Review: "High-Impact Consulting" by Robert Schaffer is an intriguing book, opening doors for consultants everywhere to pick the low-hanging fruit and to get things done rapid cycle.
As an MBA student at Arizona State University West I was in curious to learn more about the complex and confusing world of consulting. Quickly, I enrolled in Organizational Consulting under the lead of Dr. Alan Goldman, "Doing Business with the Japanese." At the first class meeting I learned of the 5 required texts and had a thought about dropping. After soothing myself with the thought of end-of-semester book buy back, I jumped into the class with two feet. Now, finally at the end of the semester, there is one book that will not make it back to the shelves of the bookstore, instead it will have an honored spot on my personal bookcase.
"High-Impact Consulting" is an excellent reference tool for the novice wanting to know more about consultant, to the manager getting ready to hire a consultant, and even to the experienced consultant. It is well laid out, and easy to follow. It is not filled with hard to understand jargon, instead the concepts are so clearly explained the reader will continually agree and wonder why they did not think of that before.
Schaffer explains the concept of "picking the low-hanging fruit," my personal favorite. Fix the easiest problem first, or "pick the low-hanging fruit," can be applied to all aspects of life- do the easiest homework first, pay off the smallest credit card, or improve the easiest computer networking problem first.
"High-Impact Consulting" is an excellent reference tool if you are first learning about consulting or experienced at lending your expertise as a consultant. It could only be improved by bulleted summaries at the end of each chapter. As I enjoyed reading it through from cover to cover, I would rather use it as an easy to use quick reference tool in the future. Bullets would make it easy to both refresh on the information and find the section which needs to be focused on.
I strongly recommend "High-Impact Consulting," and if you happen to be near Arizona State University West both the MBA program and "Organizational Consulting" also.
Rating: 
Summary: The Right Way to Consult...for THEIR results, not YOURS
Review: After having worked as a senior management and communications consultant for more than 10 years I have finally found a piece of work that really says it all. And gives it all. "High-Impact Consulting" carries great insights in the psychology and sociology of managing and developing an organisation and its co-workers. Mr Schaffer gives you cristal clear advice and methods that can be used right away. On the next day, in the next meeting, etc. This is a must-read for everyone living and working in an organisation. If there is any truth to the idea that our World is moving toward a work force of "homo consultus" and an economy of "service concepts" this book should be one of its guiding lights. I rate it in the same category as Thomas Kuhn's 1962 revolutionary piece "The logic...of scientific relvolutions", which was a ground breaking work for our science and its self-awarness. The big difference between these books, besides the subject, is that "High-Impact Consulting" is easy to read, easy to understand and easy to take to your heart. In other words, it is written in a "high-impact" mode and manner. "High-impact consulting" could be one of this "special order books" and carry a serious price tag. But its not. So why not get it? It can't be your fear of having a measurable and valuable impact...or?
Rating:
Summary: Powerful advice
Review: Bob Schaffer has taken an already powerful message and amplified it in this revised version of his book. Good examples and additions. Guaranteed to challenge the status quo. Well worth it!
Rating:
Summary: High Impact Consulting
Review: I am a current MBA student at Arizona State University. I recently had the opportunity to take Organizational Consulting, taught by Dr. Goldman and the text book was High Impact Consulting by Robert Schaffer.
I found this book to be very helpful. It was concise and easy to read. Mr. Schaffer outlined many mistakes that organizations make when they hire a consulting firm. Many of these consultants are great at providing more data than results, and it is my belief that data without results is just data. Mr. Schaffer does a fine job of contrasting 'conventional consulting' with 'high impact consulting' which emphasis results.
An analogy that I would make that parallels Mr. Schaffer's contrasting of consulting styles is found in baseball. In baseball there are two strategies for success. One is to wait for the homerun. There may be many strikeouts, more non-successes than successes, as the team tries to win with one swing. The other is to play for small successes. Here, the team tries to win with base hits, walks, maybe a stolen base, each facilitates small successes. Similarly, then, conventional consulting firms who provide a lot of extraneous activity but perhaps no concrete, tangible results (non-successes in the eyes of the client). High impact consulting is just the opposite, with many small successes which leads to large successes.
In this book, he describes the tools and strategies necessary for consulting that provides rapid cycle results as consultants work as partners with the client. If another edition were to come out however, I would suggest some redundancy be eliminated. This would shorten it somewhat without loosing any of its value. I still believe though, that this book is a great tool for the tool box of any consultant or anyone who may need to hire one.
My professor, Dr. Goldman, is the author of several books in management, conflict resolution and communication in cross cultural businesses. He also served as the "Trade Around World" writer for the senior Bush's administration and U.S. Congress' internatioal diplomacy publication, FIVE HUNDRED.
Rating:
Summary: A five star book!
Review: I am currently an MBA student at Arizona State University, West Campus. As part of my Consulting Management class, taught by Dr. Alan Goldman, I had to read "High Impact Consulting" by Robert Schaffer.
Dr. Goldman insisted we read this book, and I am thankful that he introduced me to such a great work! Even if is not on our job description, we all act, in a higher or lower degree, as consultants in our firms. This book makes so much sense! A true consultant wants to really help his/her client and wants to see results and improvements. Mr. Schaffer offers practical ideas how to avoid failure and achieve success. Unlike the wildly spread "Trojan horse" approach adopted by a large number of consulting companies, this book is advocating "rapid-cycle, results-oriented projects designed for client-learning as well as for achievement".
Every manager should read this book - the ones that do act as consultants should cherish it, the ones that hire consultants, should use it as a guideline.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful advice
Review: I spent 15 years as a manager inside companies that had little to no idea how to work with a consultant. When I started consulting myself, I bought copies of this great book for my clients so they could learn how to get the most for their dollar. The great thing about the book is that the title might make you think that the value it promises is all long term -- quite the opposite. The entire concept is to look for value points and deliver them -- focus on results and not on inputs. Overall, this book is great for people who are not consultants because it really demystifies working with consultants by revealing things consultants woudl rather you not know. With a level playing field -- created of you read this -- you can really make your consultants work for you.
Rating:
Summary: A Consultant Buys This for Clients
Review: I spent 15 years as a manager inside companies that had little to no idea how to work with a consultant. When I started consulting myself, I bought copies of this great book for my clients so they could learn how to get the most for their dollar. The great thing about the book is that the title might make you think that the value it promises is all long term -- quite the opposite. The entire concept is to look for value points and deliver them -- focus on results and not on inputs. Overall, this book is great for people who are not consultants because it really demystifies working with consultants by revealing things consultants woudl rather you not know. With a level playing field -- created of you read this -- you can really make your consultants work for you.
Rating:
Summary: High-Impact Consulting
Review: I would recommend Robert H. Schaffer's "High-Impact Consulting: How Clients and Consultants Can Work Together to Achieve Extraordinary Results" not only to internal and external consultants, but also to any professional businessperson. Schaffer's explanation of the "implementation gap", the "five fatal flaws of conventional consulting", and "high-impact consulting" provide the foundation for consultants and their clients to create successful consulting projects which result in measurable results. Schaffer not only introduces a new paradigm for the consulting profession, but he also provides business managers with the knowledge that is needed to ensure projects are designed and implemented to improve goals that are defined by the client.
As an MBA student of the School of Global Management & Leadership at Arizona State University, this book was the required text for my Organizational Consulting course, which was taught by Dr. Alan Goldman. This course, accompanied by Schaffer's book, taught the importance of client empowerment and how strategic consultant-client relationships can lead to successful consulting projects.
Rating:
Summary: Review of High-Impact Consulting
Review: Robert Shaffer's book, High-Impact Consulting, was quite educational. For starters, it is clearly written and an easy read. I am enrolled in a class titled Organizational Consultation at Arizona State University's West campus in the MBA program, and this book was suggested by Dr. Alan Goldman. In addition to working in academia, Dr. Goldman himself works as a consultant, and he feels this book is a must have for anyone who hopes to go into the field.
After reading Shaffer's book, I find it almost simple to pinpoint where failed consulting projects have gone wrong. Be it client readiness or a labor intensive use of consultants, I feel I can take a look at any consulting project gone wrong and see exactly whether the client, consultant, or both had a hand in the failure. This book teaches the reader how to identify flaws, and identify where action should have been taken. It's as if Shaffer makes the fatal flaws of conventional consulting seem blatantly obvious to the outside observer.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is thinking of becoming, or even employing, a consultant. It will show you that subject matter is not all that is required to be a consultant.
Rating:
Summary: The Right Way to Consult...for THEIR results, not YOURS
Review: This book gives an account of the absolute right way to consult. But there is a problem: One, however, I believe is a good one whose day in the sun has come. Consultants and consulting firms have different definitions of success. A GOOD and TRUE consultant wants to see his customer succeed, and this book shows how to accomplish that. A TYPICAL consulting firm wants to rack up the chargeable time. There is a dichotomy here, one with which I have dealt personally for 18 years before founding my own firm. The author correctly describes consulting success as client results. However, most large consulting firms describe success as a monstrous amount of chargeable hours. In short, don't you dare solve your client's problem before your billing has reached at least six figures!!! Read this book. If you are a consultant, celebrate it. If you are a partner in a major consulting firm, decry it. If you are a client, hold your consultants to it!
<< 1 >>
|
