Research Skills For Management Consultants

Research skills for management consultants: Sharpening the tools
Institute of Management Consultants NZ Wellington Branch 22 September 2010
Iain Matheson CMC
http://www.mathesonassociates.co.nz

Overview
Management consultancy and research/data collection
Interviews
Focus groups
Surveys

A Famous Researcher?

F.W. Taylor
Systematizing Shop Management and Manufacturing Costs a Specialty
(F.W. Taylor’s business card, 1893).

Other Management Gurus/ Researchers
John Adair
Chris Argyris
Meredith Belbin
Edward de Bono
Rensis Likert
Douglas McGregor
Abraham Maslow
Henry Minzberg

Presentation Sources Researchers Business researchers Management Consultants Lorrelle Frazer & Meredith Lawley Richard Krueger Jane Richie & Jane Lewis Michael Q Patton Statistics New Zealand Gordon Willis Evert Gummesson David Maister Peter Block Michael Boricki CMC-Canada Gerald Weinberg Alan Weiss

Some Familiar Books

Opening the Toolbox
Hand tools
Cutting and abrasive tools
Garden tools
Machine tools
Power tools
Measuring and alignment tools

Hand Tools
Methods for gathering...data are varied and include:
retrieval and study of records
observing events and conditions
...questionnaires
interviewing
data gathering meetings
employee attitude surveys
estimating (CMC-Canada, 2010, p.22).

Other Diagnostical Considerations
Breadth of 6 CBK functional areas
Culture
Strengths and opportunities
Methods of analysis

Interviews
What’s to know? I’ve been talking to people for 50 years! (anon).

Types of Hammer

The Long Pedigree of the Interview

Type of Interviews

Early Considerations
What data do you need?
Are interviews best way to gather this data?
Which type and why?
Qualitative data only?
Generalising
Who to interview

Other Issues
Intervening
Use of self
Authenticity
Rapport-building and neutrality
Listening
Recording
Confidentiality

Advantages of Interviews
Core area of management consultancy competency
Get rich (detailed) information
Short time frames
Flexible

Disadvantages of Interviews
Can be expensive/time-consuming
Can be difficult to organise
Usually generate more data that you can use
Variability in the quality of the information that you get

Focus Groups
A definition:
A focus group is a carefully planned discussion designed to obtain perceptions on a defined area of interest in a permissive non-threatening environment. It is conducted with approximately 7 to 10 participants by a skilled interviewer. The discussion is comfortable and often enjoyable for participants as they share their ideas and perceptions. Group members influence each other by responding to ideas and comments (Krueger, 1997, p.6).

Types of Focus Groups
Focus group, group interview, discussion group or workshop?
One-off?
Heterogeneity or homogeneity groups?
Face-to-face or telephone/videoconferencing-based?

Considerations
Krueger’s (1997) 9 focus group facilitator roles:
S eeker of wisdom Enlightened novice
Expert consultant Challenger
Referee Writer
Team member Therapist
Serial interviewer.
Comfortable environment
Whether a co-facilitator is needed

Focus Group Advantages
Good alignment with management consultants;
Useful for gaining reactions, opinions, information and advice;
Equally good for employees, customers or vendors;
Participation inter-action enhances data quality;
May generate useful new information;
Can be cost-effective;
Data can be produced quite quickly;
Flexible .

Focus Group Disadvantages
Limited number of questions;
One or two people can dominate;
Those with minority views may not fully participate;
A skilled moderator/facilitator is required;
There may be reactive effects;
Can produce more data than needed;
Not good for controversial or subtle subjects;
Participant attending as scheduled may be an issue;
Participant confidentiality cannot be assured .

Surveys
A definition:
A survey involves the collection of information from some (or all) units of a population using well-designed concepts, methods and procedures, and the compilation of such information in a useful summary form (Statistics New Zealand, 1995, p.9).

Types of Surveys
Self completion questionnaire
Telephone questionnaire
Survey interview
Internet survey
Polls (eg linkedin, website, tv, radio)
Omnibus surveys

Early Considerations
Is suitable information already available?
What are the objectives?
What are you trying to measure?
Co-operation likely?
Sufficient timeframe and budget?
How will the results be used?

Other Issues
Selecting type of survey
Simple/short or complex/comprehensive?
Sample or census
Probability or non-probability sample
Units of population and sampling frame
Sample size
Testing

Survey Advantages
Objectivity
Potential to generalise
Management consultants ‘bigger picture’.
Can gather data from lots of people
Internet specific:
Accessible and increasingly easy to use
Low cost – several with free (limited) versions
Fast and convenient
Basic analysis built-in

Survey Disadvantages
Requires some technical knowledge and skill
Inflexible
Survey fatigue
Complex surveys are time-consuming/
Expensive
Generalisability claims often don’t water
Internet specific:
Firewalls and organisational email security
Variable experiences on response rates?
The seduction of technology

Comparison (Frazer & Lawley, 2000) Mail Face-to-face Telephone Internet Cost Low High Moderate Very low Speed of data collection Slow Immediate Immediate Fast Ability to reach geographically dispersed segments High Very low Medium Very high Length of questionnaire Long (4-12 pages) Long (30-60 minutes) Medium (10-30 minutes) Long (4-12 pages) Questionnaire complexity Simple only Simple to complex Simple only Simple only Question complexity Simple to moderate Simple to complex Simple only Simple to moderate

Comparison...cont Mail Face-to-face Telephone Internet Question complexity Simple to moderate Simple to complex Simple only Simple to moderate Hard-to-recall data obtainable Good Poor Moderate Good Response anonymity Possible Not possible Not possible Possible Rapport with respondents None High Moderate None Interviewer bias None High Medium None Need for interviewer supervision No Yes Yes No Response rate Low Very high Moderate Moderate

Survey QA framework (Willis, 2005)

Conclusion
Select from your toolkit carefully
Use an appropriate size and type
Look after your tools
Feel free to borrow from others but...

Thank you
Please contact me for references or more information:
iain@mathesonassociates.co.nz

Research Skills For Management Consultants

by Matheson Associates Limited on Sep 22, 2010

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