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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

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

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

Some Familiar Books

Opening the Toolbox

• Hand tools

• Cutting and abrasive tools

• Garden tools

• Machine tools

• Power tools

• Measuring and alignment tools

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).

Other Diagnostical Considerations

• Breadth of 6 CBK functional areas

• Culture

• Strengths and opportunities

• Methods of analysis

Interviews

What’s to know? I’ve been talking to people for 50 years! (anon).

Types of Hammer

Claw hammerBall pienhammer

Mallet

Upholstery hammer

Lump hammer Sledgehammer

Stonemason’s hammer

Geologists hammer

Gavel

The Long Pedigree of the Interview

Type of Interviews

Alan Weiss type Standardised Conversational

Interview guide Focus Telephone

Written Group Survey

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

Other Issues

• Intervening

• Use of self

• Authenticity

• Rapport-building and neutrality

• Listening

• Recording

• Confidentiality

Advantages of Interviews

• Core area of management consultancy competency

• Get rich (detailed) information

• Short time frames

• Flexible

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

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).

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?

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

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.

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.

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).

Types of Surveys

• Self completion questionnaire

• Telephone questionnaire

• Survey interview

• Internet survey

• Polls (eg linkedin, website, tv, radio)

• Omnibus surveys

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?

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

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

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

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

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

Survey QA framework (Willis, 2005)

READING INSTRUCTIONS CLARITY

ASSUMPTIONS KNOWLEDGE/MEMORY SENSITIVITY/BIAS

RESPONSE CATEGORIES OTHER PROBLEMS

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:

iain@mathesonassociates.co.nz

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).

Internet Survey

http://www.surveymonkey.com

http://www.surveygizmo.com

http://zoomerang.com