咨询顾问与企业有很多种合作方式，角色定位是否准确对于实现顾问的作用最大化有重要的影响。从无用论到神话论，从“砖”家到专家，在咨询行业中如何让咨询客户对咨询的角色、作用有一个准确、到位的认识，不仅是当务之急，也是重中之重。我们也在十几年的咨询经历中，亲历了这些身份的变化。
1. 助手
管理者将咨询顾问视为“另外一双手”。管理者会认为，我已经找出了问题所在并且有明确的方案，但我没有足够时间，也不愿意处理变革的繁琐过程，希望顾问能够按管理者的意图实施变革工作。
而咨询顾问可凭借其对咨询工具的掌握，根据企业管理者对任务的要求与思路，去完成特定任务。这种身份让顾问在咨询活动中相对处于辅助定位，一般不能对企业全部经营管理结果负责，而只对项目提供的服务成果是否满足客户要求负责。
2. 医生/老师
医生的作用是通过专业的诊断，发现企业管理上存在的问题，并分析其根本原因，在此基础上制定咨询实施方案，解决问题，提升管理水平。借助老师的教学方式，将管理知识从顾问转移到企业内部人员，从而提升其管理能力。中国数字化转型网www.szhzxw.cn
企业给顾问这样定位，是因为顾问作为专业人士，是有能力更准确地发现问题、分析问题，并提供更有效的解决方案，从而指导企业进行变革。企业普遍会认为咨询顾问有能力做出精确评估，由顾问主导整个咨询过程，企业被动提供支持就可以，并期望顾问为变革的过程和结果全面负责。
如果企业要解决的问题纯粹是技术性的，咨询顾问或许能够运用专业知识将问题分离出来，并找出解决方案。但IPD咨询所要解决的问题往往并没有这么简单，简单地依靠顾问提出方案并执行，有时会出现生搬硬套、不符合企业实际的现象。不少IPD咨询项目效果不理想，主要原因就是盲目模仿华为导致的。
3. 合作者
基于管理变革的专业性和复杂性，顾问或企业管理者都无法单独地实施变革。因此需要将顾问的专业知识与管理者对自己组织的了解结合起来，才能有效地解决管理问题。解决问题成为管理者和顾问双方共同的责任，双方需要成为密切的合作者。中国数字化转型网www.szhzxw.cn
在咨询顾问扮演合作者的情况下，顾问并不是代替管理者解决问题，而是运用自己的专业技能帮助管理者解决问题，这两者之间差别极大。合作者角色所包含的一个关键假设就是，管理者必须积极地参与信息收集和分析过程，参与确定目标与行动方案的规划，最终要与咨询顾问共同承担责任。
管理本身既有其科学性，也有其“艺术性”。科学性在于有方法论，有客观规律可以遵行。“艺术性”在于，管理要依赖于人的思想、人格魅力、灵感与创新，强调其实践性和灵活性。
对于局部的技术性的管理改进，比如工具方法的引入，咨询顾问作为“企业医生”的运作模式或许可行，但是对于IPD这样系统性的管理变革，会涉及管理理念、组织架构、运营模式的变化，仅仅依靠顾问的力量是不足以保障变革的成功的。正如一个比喻，“咨询好比顾问与客户在跳一曲双人舞：跳得好，曲终人散却余情未了；跳得不好，恨不得中途就甩手而去且余恨绕梁”。所以说，咨询的成功是双方的成功，失败是双方的失败。中国数字化转型网www.szhzxw.cn
翻译：
How should consultants be positioned?
There are many ways for consultants to cooperate with enterprises. Whether the role positioning is accurate has an important impact on maximizing the role of consultants. From the useless theory to the myth theory, from the “brick” home to the expert, in the consulting industry, how to let the consulting customers have an accurate and accurate understanding of the role and function of consulting is not only a top priority, but also the most important. We have also witnessed these identity changes in more than a decade of consulting experience.中国数字化转型网www.szhzxw.cn
1. Assistant
Managers see consultants as “another pair of hands”. The manager will think that I have found out the problem and have a clear plan, but I do not have enough time and am not willing to deal with the cumbersome process of change, and I hope the consultant can implement the change according to the manager’s intention.中国数字化转型网www.szhzxw.cn
Consultants can complete specific tasks according to the requirements and ideas of enterprise managers by virtue of their mastery of consulting tools. This status makes the consultant relatively auxiliary position in the consulting activities. Generally, the consultant cannot be responsible for all the operation and management results of the enterprise, but only for whether the service results provided by the project meet the requirements of the customer.中国数字化转型网www.szhzxw.cn
2. Doctor/Teacher
The role of doctors is to find the problems existing in enterprise management through professional diagnosis, and analyze the root causes, on this basis, formulate consulting implementation plans, solve problems, and improve management level. With the help of the teacher’s teaching method, the management knowledge is transferred from the consultant to the internal personnel of the enterprise, so as to improve their management ability. China Digital Transformation network www.szhzxw.cn
Enterprises position consultants in this way because consultants, as professionals, are able to find problems more accurately, analyze problems, and provide more effective solutions, so as to guide enterprises to change. Companies generally assume that the consultant has the ability to make accurate assessments, that the consultant leads the entire consultation process, and the company provides passive support, and expect the consultant to take full responsibility for the process and results of change.
If the problem to be solved is purely technical, the consultant may be able to use the expertise to isolate the problem and come up with a solution. However, the problems to be solved by IPD consulting are often not so simple, simply relying on consultants to put forward plans and implement them, and sometimes there will be rote and inconsistent with the actual phenomenon of enterprises. Many IPD consulting projects have unsatisfactory results, mainly because they blindly imitate Huawei.
3. Collaborators
Due to the professional and complex nature of managing change, neither consultants nor business managers can implement change alone. Therefore, it is necessary to combine the consultant’s expertise with the manager’s knowledge of their own organization in order to effectively solve management problems. Problem solving becomes the shared responsibility of both the manager and the consultant, and both sides need to be close collaborators. China Digital Transformation network www.szhzxw.cn
There is a big difference between a consultant acting as a collaborator. Where the consultant is not solving the problem on behalf of the manager. But using his or her expertise to help the manager solve the problem. A key assumption of the collaborator role is that managers must be actively involved in the information gathering and analysis process. In the planning of goals and action plans, and ultimately share responsibility with consultants.中国数字化转型网www.szhzxw.cn
Management itself has its scientific nature, but also has its “artistic”. Science lies in methodology and objective laws to be followed.
“Artistry” is that management relies on human thought, personality charm, inspiration and innovation, emphasizing its practicality and flexibility.
For partial technical management improvement, such as the introduction of tools and methods. The operation mode of consultants as “enterprise doctors” may be feasible. But for systematic management reform such as IPD, it will involve changes in management philosophy, organizational structure and operation mode. And relying solely on the power of consultants is not enough to guarantee the success of the reform. As a metaphor, “Consulting is like consultant and client in a pas de deux: dance well, the song is over but the love is not left. If you don’t dance well, you want to throw your hands off halfway and leave with lingering resentment.” Therefore, the success of the consultation is the success of both parties, and the failure is the failure of both parties.中国数字化转型网www.szhzxw.cn
