Working as a Team
Consulting is fundamentally collaborative and you work closely in team. In class you will:
- Collaborate in a pod with your TA and 7-8 classmates all semester
- Complete your capstone in sub-teams of 3-4
- Practice cases with peers throughout the course
- Give and receive feedback
Your Pod Structure
Each pod includes:
- 1 TA: Your primary mentor, coach, and feedback-giver
- 7-8 Students: Your learning community for the semester
Your pod serves three purposes:
- Support system: People rooting for your success and checking in on your progress
- Practice interview partners: 5 peers to practice behavioral and case interviews with
- Peer feedback: Resume reviews, story refinement, and honest input
| Activity | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Goals Worksheet + Chat | Early semester |
| TA Mentoring Sessions | 3x per semester |
| Practice interviews with peers | 7 sessions (ongoing) |
| Resume review | Before and after TA feedback |
Team Norms
The Consulting Standard
In consulting, teams operate with high expectations:
- Deliver what you promise: If you commit to something, it gets done
- Surface issues early: Problems get bigger when hidden
- Prepare before meetings: Come ready to contribute
- Give direct feedback: Kind but honest
- Assume positive intent: Teammates want to succeed
Our Class Norms
We’ll hold ourselves to the same standard:
- Show up prepared: Complete readings, bring your work
- Engage actively: Cold calling happens; be ready
- Meet deadlines: Late work signals unreliability
- Support each other: Everyone’s success is good for you
Working Styles
People work differently. Understanding your style, and your teammates’ styles, reduces friction.
Common Style Dimensions
| Dimension | Spectrum |
|---|---|
| Communication | Direct ↔︎ Diplomatic |
| Decision-making | Fast/intuitive ↔︎ Slow/analytical |
| Work preference | Solo focus ↔︎ Collaborative |
| Feedback | Blunt ↔︎ Gentle |
| Planning | Structured ↔︎ Flexible |
Roles on a Consulting Team
On an engagement, common roles include:
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Engagement Manager (EM) | Overall workplan, client relationship, team coordination |
| Associate/Consultant | Own a workstream, conduct analyses, build content |
| Business Analyst | Support analyses, research, model building |
In this class:
- Your TA is like an EM: guiding, coaching, not doing your work
- You are like an Associate: owning your workstream end-to-end
- On capstone teams, you’ll rotate leadership responsibilities
Giving and Receiving Feedback
Feedback is the engine of improvement. Consultants get feedback frequently. Giving and acting on it is part of the Collaboration axis of the Consultant diamond; Collaboration covers the skills in depth.
Giving Feedback
Use the SBI Model:
- Situation: When/where did this happen?
- Behavior: What specifically did you observe?
- Impact: What was the effect?
Example: “In our case practice yesterday (situation), you jumped to a recommendation before structuring the problem (behavior). This made it hard to follow your logic (impact).”
Receiving Feedback
- Listen fully: Don’t interrupt or defend
- Ask clarifying questions: “Can you give me an example?”
- Thank them: Feedback is a gift
- Reflect: What will you do differently?
Feedback in This Class
| Feedback Type | Frequency | From |
|---|---|---|
| Project feedback | After each submission | TA |
| Practice interview feedback | After each practice interview | Peers + TA |
| Resume feedback | 2x (Weeks 5, 7) | TA |
| TA Mentoring Sessions | 3x (Weeks 5, 9-10, 14) | TA |
| Self-reflection | Mid-semester | You |
Managing Conflict
Teams encounter conflict. How you handle it matters. For hard messages to a client, see Navigate Difficult Conversations.
Healthy Conflict
- Debating the best approach to a problem
- Pushing back on weak logic
- Disagreeing about priorities
Unhealthy Conflict
- Personal attacks
- Avoiding hard conversations
- Letting resentment build
Resolution Approach
- Address it directly: Talk to the person, not about them
- Focus on behavior, not character: “You missed the deadline” not “You’re unreliable”
- Seek to understand: What’s their perspective?
- Escalate if needed: TA → Professor if unresolved
Capstone Team Formation
Later in the semester, you’ll form capstone sub-teams of 3-4. Consider:
- Complementary skills: Mix of strengths
- Compatible styles: Can you work together under pressure?
- Shared commitment: Equal investment in quality
More guidance will come closer to sub-team formation.