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THE MANAGER AND THE CONSULTANT–RESEARCHER 13

How to Locate and Select a Researcher

Many organizational consulting firms are listed in telephone directories and can be
used for consulting on various types of projects. If a broad indication about what
areas or issues need to be researched is stated, the consulting firm will provide lists
of individuals that have expertise in those particular areas. The credentials of these
individuals are also usually presented by the consulting firm or can be requested.
Other organizations that have used their services can also be contacted to ascer-
tain the merits and effectiveness of the individuals and the reputation of the firm.
Many colleges of business also have professors who do organizational consulting
work. Some of them have vast experience working with several types of organiza-
tions. These individuals can also be contacted and their services utilized, if they
have the time and would agree to do the study. In all cases, however, it is advis-
able to check their credentials and the institutions they hail from before hiring them.

The Manager–Researcher Relationship

During their careers, it often becomes necessary for managers to deal with con-
sultants. Many academicians also have their students do research projects for the
class and several organizations allow access to them, asking only that a copy of
the research project be made available to them. Some professors interested in pub-
lishing the results of basic research also approach organizations and are afforded
the facilities to conduct research. If the research has been done scientifically, then
the results of the study would be beneficial to the manager, who would have
obtained useful information without paying for it. By being able to point out the
relevant variables integral to what is of concern to the researchers doing basic
research, and by helping them with useful insights, the manager stands to benefit
a great deal. When the manager is knowledgeable about research, then the inter-
actions between the manager and the researcher become more meaningful, pur-
poseful, and beneficial both to the organization and the researcher alike.
Quite frequently, organizations also hire outside research agencies to identify
and solve problems for them. In such a case, the manager must not only inter-
act effectively with the research team, but must also explicitly delineate the roles
for the researchers and the management. The manager has to inform the
researchers what types of information could be provided to them, and more
important, which of their records would not be made available to them. Such
records might include the personnel files of the employees, or the ones with cer-
tain trade secrets. Making these facts explicit at the very beginning can save a lot
of frustration for both parties. Managers who are very knowledgeable about
research can more easily foresee what information the researchers might require,
and if certain documents containing such information cannot be made available,
they can inform the research team about this at the outset. It is vexing for
researchers to discover at a late stage that the company will not let them have
certain information. If they know the constraints right from the beginning, the
researchers might be able to identify alternate ways of tackling the problems and
to design the research in such a way as to provide the needed answers.