Whether we like it or not, we live in a global world. We can no longer hide within the boundaries of our countries, villages and homes since population growth and technological advances impact migration patterns, climate change, environmental degradation, scarce resources such as water and oil, disease patterns, the ability to feed ourselves, and the need for an enlightened and educated world population capable of tackling these serious problems together, and finding ways of living together peacefully.
The need for good consultants from all countries in all fields of endeavor has never been greater, and the reason for writing this book is two-fold: to encourage bright, energetic young people from all over world to take up the torch of development and participate in solving the world’s problems; and to provide them with some ideas and insights which will eventually help them to become excellent consultants.
By necessity, we all enter into development consulting with at least some knowledge and perhaps some experience in our chosen technical specialty whether it is in agriculture, education, health care or some other pertinent area of development. Most of us, however, have never given much thought to what it means to be a consultant, nor have had any formal training in consulting, so we simply start trying to help someone do something, and if we’re honest and aware of what we’re doing and what works and what doesn’t, eventually we may become good consultants. This book is meant to short-cut this process, providing those of you recently entering development consulting and those considering doing so with the awareness of a wide range of consulting skills and capacities, which over time you will be able to develop and add to your toolkit. Hopefully, it will also help you to avoid many of the pitfalls, and replace much of the process of learning by trial and error.
As is the case of many professions, I believe that consulting in the Developing World can be raised to an art form, in much the same way as can cooking, medicine, teaching, and a host of other professions required to enhance human existence. For this reason, my hope is that you will be able to take the practice of consulting to a higher level: the art of consulting. That translates to practicing with effortless grace which can be sensed and observed, which inspires the people with whom we work, and produces outstanding results.
This book is NOT a textbook on consulting, but rather a compendium of ideas I believe will help you as a consultant working in international development. It is an introduction to a wide range of concepts and tools related to consulting. Entire books have been written about each, so I can only try to point you in some directions. On many of these subjects, I indicate where additional information can be found.
Contents
This book is NOT a textbook on consulting, but rather a compendium of ideas I believe will help you as a consultant working in international development. It is an introduction to a wide range of concepts and tools related to consulting. Entire books have been written about each, so I can only try to point you in some directions. On many of these subjects, I indicate where additional information can be found.
Section I: The Process of Entering International Development Consulting is an introduction to the life-style and basic elements of entering and working in the Developing World consulting. There are four chapters:
1. Why Become a Development Consultant. This is a discussion of the life-style, and pros and cons of becoming a development consultant, and is meant as a reality check for anyone who has never done this before. It discusses the good, the bad, and the ugly.
2. Getting Started as a Development Consultant. Assuming you’ve read chapter one and are still interested, this is a brief guide to finding an entry point, that is, a job.
3. The Territory: Getting Ready for the Trip. This describes in more detail the world in which the international development consultant works, with tips on how to deal with various aspects which affect your life on many levels.
4. The Territory: Getting Started with the Job. This chapter tracks the typical gauntlet you will run when you arrive in-country, and the initial steps of getting started with the job itself.
Section II: The Basics of Consulting, which beyond technical expertise form the foundation of any development consulting practice:
5. Consulting Roles. A description of the wide variety of roles we are often asked to play. Many of these may surprise you.
6. The Skills of Good Development Consultants. A discussion of consulting skills required to carry out those roles, supplementary to your skills and knowledge related to your sector subject matter.
7. The Attitudes and Behaviors of Good Development Consultants. A look at the impact attitudes have on your work and consulting practice
Section III: Concepts and Tools. This section takes concepts introduced in the previous chapters to new levels, introducing tools and concepts which can greatly improve your consulting practice.
8. Enhancing Problem-Solving and Creativity. Techniques and tools to sharpen your capacity to solve problems and stimulate your creativity.
9. Development Studies. A brief look at information gathering to determine what is going on and what to do about it. Studies are a crucial means of designing and justifying successful interventions.
10. Additional Planning Tools and Strategies. This chapter introduces several potentially useful planning tools, such as Gantt and PERT Charts and Quality Assurance.
11. Organizational Development and Group Dynamics. A brief introduction to how you can improve your ability to work with groups and organizations.
12. Projection Models. This is an introduction to the utilization of computerized simulation projection models as a tool for insight into the likely impact of strategies and interventions.
13. The Helping Relationship. A look at the process of change, and taking the attitudes discussed in Chapter 7 to a greater psychological depth.
14. Fine-Tuning Your Practice. This chapter explores the impact of your characteristics as a human being on your consulting practice, and some novel methods for improving both your practice and your life.
15. Getting it Right. Extending the discussion of the previous chapter, and summarizing much of the book, this is a consideration of how your development as a person will enhance your capacity as a consultant, utilizing the Buddhist Noble EightFold Path as a useful structure for putting all the pieces together coherently.
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