Cognitive Skills Flashcards
A consultant must have the following types of intuitive skills
Perception
Attention
Memory
Logical Reasoning
Types of intuitive skills:
The ability to perceive through our five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch
Perception
Types of intuitive skills:
The ability to pay attention in a focused, sustained, or divided manner.
Attention
Types of intuitive skills:
The ability to memorise information in our various memories (short-term/long-term)
Memory
Types of intuitive skills:
The ability to combine all of this information and apply logical reasoning to both understand situation and solve problem
Logical Reasoning
Cognitive skills relevant to a management consultant are manifested or evidenced by
Using diverse perspectives to combine and/or connect different ideas, improvements and solutions
Demonstrating the ability to select the best course of action from several alternatives developed through a structured process aimed at achieving the intended goals
Adopt Diverse Perspectives
Consultant needs to
Collect information and perspectives from all sources within the organisation
Avoid falling victim to “group-think”
Recall applicability from previous problems and solutions handled and analyse how they may apply to resolve the current problem
Cross-pollinate ideas from various situations encountered to develop new hybrid solutions as alternatives
Selecting Optimal Solutions from Alternatives
Step 1 : Generate several alternative solution pathways to the problem as the starting point
Step 2 : Develop a simple risk-based structured evaluation methodology
Step 3 : Generate a ranked set of solution pathways, from which the best solution should be recommended to the client
Develop a simple risk-based structured evaluation methodology:
Typical factors include:
Nature of the product / service
Type of processes involved
Skillsets required for those involved from the client side
Extend of supplier involvement
Customer engagement / acceptance
Financial investment and support for new ideas
Geographies involved and their peculiarities
Regulations
Socio-political outlook
Impact of competition and barriers entry
Sustainability-related aspects (wasted generated needing disposal)
3 Assessing Using Information Gathering Skills
Interviewing
Making observations and understanding processes
Being able to differentiate issues / situations by separating facts
Good Practices for an interview
Speak clearly and using simple language
Avoid projecting superiority
Talk to the appropriate person
Be objective and impartial
Give praise and appreciation to the interviewees when deserved
Counter-check the information gathered with different sources
Bad Practices for an interview
Asking many questions in one go
Pretending to understand and not clarifying when not certain
Arguing and turning an interview into a debate
Treating rumour or hearsay as objective evidence
Blaming or criticising others during the interview
Not taking notes during the interview
Being rude or uninterested or showing impatience
Failing to plan and coming unprepared for the interview
Trying to find faults rather than establishing facts
Ability to Make Observations
The infrastructure, process equipment, factory layout and process flow
A good working environment and favourable conditions
The work safety procedures that are in place
The handling, storage, and product identification
Appropriate material and product identification and segregation
The information is easily accessible
Methods of work and discipline
Employee attitudes and behaviour
The ability to differentiate between issues and situations by separating facts includes:
Separating ‘is’ from ‘is not’
Understanding ‘is’ and ‘is not’ to make the best decisions
Separating opinions and facts
Identifying strengths and weaknesses
Distinguishing isolated situations / outliers events from systemic issues
Seeing individual processes as separate steps
