Developing Internal Business Consultants

The Changing Scene of Training & Development

With the closing down and outsourcing of the training function in many organisations, training, development and even the HR function have been in a constant state of change and evolution. Now there are:

• training departments with internal trainers
• outsourced trainers
• training administrators who simply organised the courses
• HR advisors as a part of training
• or HR advisors distinct from training!

One current trend is the development of Internal Business Consultants who bridge the gap between the organisation's OD needs, HR and training functions. The role of the internal consultant has both advantages and problems compared with that of the external consultant.

• What is a business Consultant and what are some effective models of business Consulting?
• Understanding the organisational context the Consultant is working within
• What are the issues facing business Consultants in your organisation?

• Strategic thinking & business planning
• Accessing e-learning
• The key skill of an Internal Consultant
• Leading high performing teams
• Influencing across the organisation
• Understanding how personality differences affect performance
• Understanding the performance management cycle
• Understanding change management
• Understanding leadership
• Knowledge management & managing complexity
• Negotiation & conflict resolution
• Group & meetings facilitation skills

Our approach is to base the development of Internal Consultants around the Coaching process. The double benefit of this approach is firstly that it ensures that the individual is in charge of their own learning and development and secondly that it models the key skill set required by an Internal Consultant.