Proposal
This proposal involves the reasons for a company hiring a management consultant to develop the organization’s strategic plan. A strategic plan is the long-term outline of the objectives that the organization aims to achieve. Therefore, it requires adequate planning and use of the correct expertise for its effectiveness.
A management consultant is an experienced professional and will be in a position to develop a satisfactory strategic plan for this organization. In developing the strategic plan, the management consultant will determine the SWOT of the organization. This involves examining the strengths of the organization to determine areas that the company can exploit for its benefit.
The strengths could include the meritorious image that the company has created with its customers and the favorable access to technology among others. The strengths will provide a competitive advantage to the organization.
A management consultant will then analyze the weaknesses of the organization. The weaknesses refer to those internal factors within the organization that hinder its growth. These weaknesses may include the inability of the company to access raw materials, high cost of production among other factors.
These factors reduce the ability of a company to succeed in its goals. Therefore, the management consultant will include the weaknesses of the company in the strategic plan. Opportunities are those external factors that the organization can exploit for growth and profit. These could be new technologies, a new production line or removal of trade barriers that benefit the organization.
Finally, it is necessary for the consultant to determine the external threats that can halt operations of the company. These threats could include new regulations, increased competition or loss of customers, which negatively affects the company’s performance. It is crucial for the organization to therefore, analyze its SWOT in a strategic plan.
In developing the strategic plan, the management consultant will include specific items to ensure a workable plan. The vision of the organization is a key element in the strategic plan. It outlines the position where the organization expects to be in the future. The consultant will develop an attainable vision for the company.
The mission is another key element in the strategic plan. It outlines the objectives the organization aims to achieve in the future. These objectives should be measurable and realistic from the point of view of the company. They should be specific and attainable for the organization to succeed.
A management consultant will use the experience gained to develop an excellent mission. Another key area is to determine the core values of the organization. The values are the moral principles that the organization holds with its stakeholders. These are pivotal in establishing a rapport with the employees, consumers, suppliers, and the society. Values make a company acceptable in its line of business; therefore, they are fundamental elements in the strategic plan.
The consultant will also include strategies for the organization in the strategic plan. Strategies are the goals that the company aims to achieve, and the means to achieve those goals. These are crucial elements in the strategic plan, without which the company may not succeed.
Finally, the management consultant will develop a criterion through which the company can measure the success of the strategic plan. This criterion will enable the company to monitor the progress of the plan and determine if it achieves its objective. It will be possible to take corrective action in advance to reverse the situation. The organization, therefore, should hire a management consultant to develop its strategic plan.
Method
The method used in the proposal is the assertive style of communication. This method involves a person communicating his or her ideas in the appropriate manner. Assertive people know the right time to communicate, and the right things to say. Assertive communication involves a person expressing his or her ideas without offending others (Lloyd, 2001, p.111).
Assertive communication aims at creating mutual satisfaction for both parties involved in the conversation. A person communicates his or her opinions clearly in an assertive communication without being subjective. In the proposal, the management consultant seeks to develop the company’s strategic plan.
The consultant gives the opinions on developing a workable plan without insisting that the company accept the proposal. This way of presenting ideas is the assertive communication that gives each party in an organization an opportunity to express their opinion.
Assertive communication is steady but fair, and strives for objectivity. The communicator stresses his or her point to the target audience, but does not force people to adopt the idea. This is a fantastic way of communicating in an organization and ensures teamwork. Assertive people are excellent team players and groups with assertive people achieve their goals in an organization.
The tone of voice in an assertive communication should be more convincing and acceptable to the target audience. The audience should get a conviction from reading the proposal and accept it as a workable proposal.
However, the communicator should be careful not to sound intimidating in the communication process. Assertive communication should also contain the right content of information (Peterson, 2000, p.121). The context of the information, the manner of saying it, and time are as valuable as the message itself in an assertive communication.
Assertive communication focuses on the subject of communication as opposed to a specified person. It involves the communicator stressing the point of discussion while giving supporting ideas for the chosen stand. It shows the benefits of adopting a certain point of view and disadvantages of the same.
This style of communication outlines the weaknesses of the organization and areas of concern to ameliorate the overall performance of the organization. It is not subjective to a specified person by analyzing their behavior, but focuses on the organization’s goals and the means to achieve them.
Assertive communication involves people who know their rights and constantly advocate for them while being careful not to infringe on other people’s rights (Alberti, & Emmons, 2001, 123). The communicator proposes their ideas and sells them to other people urging them to accept.
Communicators sell their ideas without violating other people’s rights. In addition, the communicator can begin and maintain a close relationship with his or her audience in the event of communication. Through this relationship, the audience slowly adopts the point of view of the communicator. In the proposal, the management consultant builds a relationship with the audience by identifying with the organization.
This relationship enables the organization to understand the reasons for developing the outlined strategic plan by the management consultant. The organization will eventually examine the plan weighing its viability and finally adopt the plan. An assertive communicator adopts this downright way of achieving success in an organization without forcing anyone to accept the proposal.
According to Miller (2005, p.145), assertive communication is direct and honest. The communicator does not beat around the bush with statements but goes straight to the relevant ideas. The proposal for the management consultant is direct. The consultant outlines the model strategic plan that the organization should adopt.
The management consultant identifies the specifics of the strategic plan because that is the task assigned to this consultant. This is an excellent method of communication because the plan is direct to the organization. After reading the proposal, the organization decides whether to adopt the plan.
If it does not meet the specifics of the organization, the management consultant is always willing to compromise and negotiate. It is through further discussion with the management consultant that the organization will discover the benefits of adopting the strategic plan. An assertive communicator follows in this procedure in achieving success and communicating workable solutions to the organization.
The result of the communication is that the organization understands and respects the point of view of the communicator. The negotiation brings a win-win situation and everyone’s rights respected (Peterson, 2000, p.131).
However, not all situations deserve assertive communication. If the communication is sudden and unexpected, other people are likely to view it as aggressive. The context where an individual uses this form of communication is relevant because not all circumstances deserve this method of communication.
There is no guarantee of success even where assertive communication is used. The company may fail to adopt the proposed strategic plan however convincing it is. Other factors may cause the organization’s failure to adopt the strategic plan. Therefore, the communicator should remain passive in such a situation.
References
Alberti, R. E., & Emmons, M. L. (2001). Your Perfect Right: Assertiveness and Equality In Your Life and Relationships. Impact Publishers.
Lloyd, S. R. (2001). Developing Positive Assertiveness: Practical Techniques for Personal Success. Crisp Learning.
Miller, K. (2005).Communication Theories: Perspectives, processes, and contexts. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Peterson, R. J. (2000). The Assertiveness Workbook: How to Express Your Ideas and Stand Up for Yourself at Work and in Relationships. New Harbinger Publications.