Employing internal versus external consultants.
There are benefits and drawbacks associated with employing internal versus external consultants. Some organizations, despite the availability/competencies of an internal consultant, still require employees to assist in change efforts.
Think about a time that your organization underwent a change. Provide details about your organizational change example and offer information about the change. Then, detail if an internal consultant or an external change consultant was hired. Based upon the type of individual consultant who was hired, make an argument for the opposite. For example, if your organization utilized an internal change consultant, argue why it might have been better to select an external change consultant and vice versa.
Sample Solution
An internal consultant is, at first glance, just like an external consultant: a professional who is hired to solve an organizational problem and implement the solution in order to improve the performance of an organization. Both types of consultants can work within all possible management and organizational areas – from strategic planning to mergers and acquisitions, finance, process improvement and technology. The difference lies in the relationship with the client organization. Clients have more confidence in external consultants than in internal consultants. The function often demands an inquisitive and firm hand, a role that external advisors frequently fulfill, and one that is more difficult to fill with internal advisors.
