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 | Week 2 |
| TA Practice Interviews | 3x per semester (Weeks 4, 8, 13) |
| TA Mentoring Sessions | 3x per semester (Weeks 5, 9-10, 14) |
| Practice interviews with peers | 7 sessions (ongoing) |
| Resume review | Weeks 5-7 |
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 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.
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
In Week 12-13, 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.