research skills for management consultants
DESCRIPTION
Presentation by Iain Matheson to Institute of Management Consultants NZ - Wellington Branch 22 September 2010TRANSCRIPT
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Research skills for management consultants: Sharpening the tools
Institute of Management Consultants NZ Wellington Branch 22 September 2010
Iain Matheson CMC
http://www.mathesonassociates.co.nz
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Overview
• Management consultancy and research/data collection
• Interviews
• Focus groups
• Surveys
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A Famous Researcher?
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F.W. Taylor
Systematizing Shop Management and Manufacturing Costs a Specialty
(F.W. Taylor’s business card, 1893).
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Other Management Gurus/Researchers
• John Adair
• Chris Argyris
• Meredith Belbin
• Edward de Bono
• Rensis Likert
• Douglas McGregor
• Abraham Maslow
• Henry Minzberg
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Presentation Sources
Researchers Business researchers
Management Consultants
Lorrelle Frazer & Meredith LawleyRichard KruegerJane Richie & Jane LewisMichael Q PattonStatistics New ZealandGordon Willis
Evert GummessonDavid Maister
Peter BlockMichael BorickiCMC-CanadaGerald WeinbergAlan Weiss
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Some Familiar Books
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Opening the Toolbox
• Hand tools
• Cutting and abrasive tools
• Garden tools
• Machine tools
• Power tools
• Measuring and alignment tools
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Hand Tools
Methods for gathering...data are varied and include:
• retrieval and study of records
• observing events and conditions
• ...questionnaires
• interviewing
• data gathering meetings
• employee attitude surveys
• estimating (CMC-Canada, 2010, p.22).
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Other Diagnostical Considerations
• Breadth of 6 CBK functional areas
• Culture
• Strengths and opportunities
• Methods of analysis
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Interviews
What’s to know? I’ve been talking to people for 50 years! (anon).
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Types of Hammer
Claw hammerBall pienhammer
Mallet
Upholstery hammer
Lump hammer Sledgehammer
Stonemason’s hammer
Geologists hammer
Gavel
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The Long Pedigree of the Interview
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Type of Interviews
Alan Weiss type Standardised Conversational
Interview guide Focus Telephone
Written Group Survey
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Early Considerations
• What data do you need?
• Are interviews best way to gather this data?
• Which type and why?
• Qualitative data only?
• Generalising
• Who to interview
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Other Issues
• Intervening
• Use of self
• Authenticity
• Rapport-building and neutrality
• Listening
• Recording
• Confidentiality
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Advantages of Interviews
• Core area of management consultancy competency
• Get rich (detailed) information
• Short time frames
• Flexible
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Disadvantages of Interviews
• Can be expensive/time-consuming
• Can be difficult to organise
• Usually generate more data that you can use
• Variability in the quality of the information that you get
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Focus Groups
A definition:
A focus group is a carefully planned discussion designed to obtain perceptions on a defined area of interest in a permissive non-threatening environment. It is conducted with approximately 7 to 10 participants by a skilled interviewer. The discussion is comfortable and often enjoyable for participants as they share their ideas and perceptions. Group members influence each other by responding to ideas and comments (Krueger, 1997, p.6).
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Types of Focus Groups
• Focus group, group interview, discussion group or workshop?
• One-off?
• Heterogeneity or homogeneity groups?
• Face-to-face or telephone/videoconferencing-based?
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Considerations
Krueger’s (1997) 9 focus group facilitator roles:
Seeker of wisdom Enlightened novice
Expert consultant Challenger
Referee Writer
Team member Therapist
Serial interviewer.
• Comfortable environment
• Whether a co-facilitator is needed
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Focus Group Advantages
• Good alignment with management consultants;
• Useful for gaining reactions, opinions, information and advice;
• Equally good for employees, customers or vendors;
• Participation inter-action enhances data quality;
• May generate useful new information;
• Can be cost-effective;
• Data can be produced quite quickly;
• Flexible.
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Focus Group Disadvantages
• Limited number of questions;
• One or two people can dominate;
• Those with minority views may not fully participate;
• A skilled moderator/facilitator is required;
• There may be reactive effects;
• Can produce more data than needed;
• Not good for controversial or subtle subjects;
• Participant attending as scheduled may be an issue;
• Participant confidentiality cannot be assured.
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Surveys
A definition:
A survey involves the collection of information from some (or all) units of a population using well-designed concepts, methods and procedures, and the compilation of such information in a useful summary form (Statistics New Zealand, 1995, p.9).
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Types of Surveys
• Self completion questionnaire
• Telephone questionnaire
• Survey interview
• Internet survey
• Polls (eg linkedin, website, tv, radio)
• Omnibus surveys
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Early Considerations
• Is suitable information already available?
• What are the objectives?
• What are you trying to measure?
• Co-operation likely?
• Sufficient timeframe and budget?
• How will the results be used?
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Other Issues
• Selecting type of survey
• Simple/short or complex/comprehensive?
• Sample or census
• Probability or non-probability sample
• Units of population and sampling frame
• Sample size
• Testing
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Survey Advantages
• Objectivity
• Potential to generalise
• Management consultants ‘bigger picture’.
• Can gather data from lots of people
• Internet specific:
– Accessible and increasingly easy to use
– Low cost – several with free (limited) versions
– Fast and convenient
– Basic analysis built-in
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Survey Disadvantages
• Requires some technical knowledge and skill
• Inflexible
• Survey fatigue
• Complex surveys are time-consuming/
• Expensive
• Generalisability claims often don’t water
• Internet specific:
– Firewalls and organisational email security
– Variable experiences on response rates?
– The seduction of technology
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Comparison (Frazer & Lawley, 2000)
Mail Face-to-face Telephone Internet
Cost Low High Moderate Very low
Speed of data
collection
Slow Immediate Immediate Fast
Ability to
reach
geographically
dispersed
segments
High Very low Medium Very high
Length of
questionnaire
Long (4-12
pages)
Long (30-60
minutes)
Medium (10-30
minutes)
Long (4-12
pages)
Questionnaire
complexity
Simple only Simple to
complex
Simple only Simple only
Question
complexity
Simple to
moderate
Simple to
complex
Simple only Simple to
moderate
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Comparison...cont
Mail Face-to-face Telephone Internet
Question
complexity
Simple to
moderate
Simple to
complex
Simple only Simple to
moderate
Hard-to-recall
data
obtainable
Good Poor Moderate Good
Response
anonymity
Possible Not possible Not possible Possible
Rapport with
respondents
None High Moderate None
Interviewer
bias
None High Medium None
Need for
interviewer
supervision
No Yes Yes No
Response rate Low Very high Moderate Moderate
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Survey QA framework (Willis, 2005)
READING INSTRUCTIONS CLARITY
ASSUMPTIONS KNOWLEDGE/MEMORY SENSITIVITY/BIAS
RESPONSE CATEGORIES OTHER PROBLEMS
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Conclusion
1. Select from your toolkit carefully
2. Use an appropriate size and type
3. Look after your tools
4. Feel free to borrow from others but...
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Thank you
Please contact me for references or more information:
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The Hammer
• A hammer is a tool meant to deliver an impact to an object. The most common uses are for driving nails, fitting parts, forging metal and breaking up objects. Hammers are often designed for a specific purpose, and vary widely in their shape and structure. The usual features are a handle and a head, with most of the weight in the head. The basic design is hand-operated, but there are also many mechanically operated models for heavier uses (Wikipedia, 2010).
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Internet Survey
http://www.surveymonkey.com
http://www.surveygizmo.com
http://zoomerang.com