A Short History of Barth, Inc, Research Paper Example

As time goes on, it is becoming clear that my time as a consultant for BARTH Inc. is coming to an end. The group is growing to rely too heavily on me while the board is disconnected from the Presidency. In Million Dollar Consulting, Alan Weiss makes it clear that consulting to the point of achieving a level of over reliance is problematic for businesses (Weiss 85). Because of the reliance on me, my effectiveness as a consultant is waning. Since the team must be self reliant, it is important for me to implement a plan and leave them to execute in order to generate productivity and a connection with the company leadership.

Due to this development, it seems logical that the problem should be solved through group meetings. Using force field analyses, the members of the team could work through the influences that are driving the team toward productivity as well as those that are working against the development of unity (Lewin). This is, I think a good way for the team to develop working relationships and begin to work without the aid of a consultant. I would attend the first few meetings, lead the force field analysis, lending my knowledge to the development, and then gradually leave the team on its own.

The consulting group should mainly be involved in the business planning cycle. With the approaches and offers for being bought out, along with the controversy over the leadership positions in the board, it is important that the team work along with the board members to develop a plan. Ethically, this could be problematic (Velasquez 234). A conflict of interest could arise in which the best course for the BATCH Inc. would mean the end of its consultant relationship with the team. For profitability, the team could encourage the continued relationship past a merger or buying out of the company, but this does seem to create a conflict of interest.

References

Lewin K. (1943). “Defining the Field at a Given Time.” Psychological Review. 50: 292  -310. Republished in Resolving Social Conflicts & Field Theory in Social Science, Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 1997.

Velasquez, Manuel D.(2005). Business Ethics: A Teaching and Learning Classroom Edition: Concepts and Cases. New York: Prentice Hall.

Weiss, Alan (2009) Million Dollar Consulting. New York, New York McGraw-Hill Inc.