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Consultants advise. But advice, even good
advice, is not enough.  Everyone has heard stories about consultant reports that are filed away or
collect dust on a shelf. It is not enough for a consultant to be knowledgeable about the
subject matter: It must be made useful to the client. As management consultant Peter Block
has noted, to have impact and provide value, a consultant needs a set of "consulting
skills" that include:
- the observational and analytic skills to collect
meaningful data; assess situations and circumstances, and interpret these in ways that
have value for a client;
- the judgment to form thoughtful opinions and draw
sound conclusions;
- the interpersonal skills to work and communicate
effectively with those the consultants encounters in the course of an assignment, and
finally,
- the ability to appreciate the client’s circumstances
and therefore to intervene in a manner that helps the client achieve results.
Sussman Associates applies these skills to every consulting
relationship.
Management is an art as much as it is a science. It is the
complex set of activities that enables an organization to successfully formulate and pursue its mission. To succeed,
organizations must develop effective governance; communications skills; strong leadership;
a clear and shared sense of mission; the capacity to plan; and the ability to effectively
manage resources -- human and financial assets, information, relationships, and strategic
position.
 Sussman Associates uses a systems
approach to understand the full context that shapes organizational behavior and management
choices. We look for subtle and interconnected forces that might be frustrating change. We
identify hidden organizational assets and capacities that might strengthen an
organization’s strategic position. We uncover strategic opportunities. Our approach
helps organizations to gain new insights into themselves and their environment. This
comprehensive approach enables Sussman Associates to assist our clients to fashion
strategic and creative solutions to the challenges they face.
Community Development is a comprehensive and
multifaceted process. Sussman Associates approaches community development as an investment
process: It generates capital in many forms:
- Physical capital, such as housing, transportation
infrastructure, community facilities, and places of business;
- financial capital, including access to debt and venture
capital and mechanisms to facilitate saving and investment;
- human capital, especially education and training that
produces marketable skills, and
- social capital, the social connections and sense of
efficacy people experience through active involvement with local institutions and
organizations.
Practiced as a multifaceted capital formation process,
community development creates assets with lasting value and the capacity to generate
future value. This comprehensive investment approach forms the core of Sussman
Associates’ community development consulting.
We have extensive experience working with a wide range of
community-based organizations, intermediary institutions, and philanthropies on housing
development issues, economic development plans, development lending programs, employment
and training initiatives, business development efforts, and early childhood and family
support programs. |
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