| This study captures expert consultants' cognitive strategies and best practices for learning and addressing client needs. Six partners from management consulting firms and three intermediate level consultants were compared using cognitive research methodologies, including role-plays and clinical interviews. The findings suggest that experts achieve superior performance due to: (a) their holistic approach, which combines technical, interpersonal, contextual, business development, and problem prevention expertise to understand their client's needs; (b) their proactive approach to listening and their concise conversation structure; and (c) their combination of different types of strategies in their responses to clients. In addition, analysis of the experts' interview styles suggested that they have different approaches for achieving superior client satisfaction, which could fit with individuals' motivational needs and skill sets. Result-oriented experts focus sharply on value creation as "organizational doctors". Collaboration-oriented experts distinguish themselves by working closely with clients in every stage as their "trusted advisors". Business-oriented experts broker talents distributed in the consulting firm to create value and good processes for the clients, while they focus on the business end of maximizing client satisfaction for the consulting firm. Findings from these studies suggest new ways to enhance client responsiveness in professionals. |
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