A Professional Competency Survey of Organizational Consultants in San Diego County

The purpose of this study was to gain a clearer understanding of the rapidly growing field of Organizational Consulting. Specifically, this research focuses on developing profiles of various types of organizational consultants in San Diego County. The types of profiles considered included: Executive Coaches, Feedback Specialists, Motivational Speakers, Trainers, Educators, and Consultants. The research topics examined included: background and professional preparation of consultants, professional resources utilized, interventions most commonly used, and level of job satisfaction. A descriptive survey was employed to aid in the investigation. The questionnaire consisted of questions revised from Waller\u27s (1988) national survey of training consultants, and additional questions. Members of the San Diego Chapter of American Society of Training and Development and members of the Organizational Development Network were invited to participate in the study. Each member was sent a questionnaire and cover letter introducing the study. Questions addressed each of the aforementioned areas of inquiry. The questionnaire was analyzed using descriptive techniques. Results were tallied by means and percentages, and displayed in charts and tables. The findings of this study suggest that there are distinct variations in profiles of organizational consultants in relation to the areas of gender, highest degree, leadership issues, salary range, and job satisfaction. There were moderate distinctions between job activities, degree specialization\u27s, type of consulting, and hours worked. There were minimal, or no distinctions between profiles in regard to: workshops, interventions, courses, effectiveness, professional organizations, books, race/ethnicity, organizational concerns, number of associates, and years in consulting