The hierarchies of an organization are essentially indicative of the organizational structure and business operations of that particular company. These hierarchies may be following a flat, horizontal or lateral structure where the roles and responsibilities of the employees are quite similar to each other. The nature of the industry to which the organization belongs to is a major factor in deciding which hierarchy the organization must adopt.
On the other hand, these might also be vertical in nature with a proper step down approach with diverse job profiles with distinct job descriptions and specifications. In particular the consulting career involves taking steps to provide the necessary solutions to business related problems, adding value and driving results by enhancing performance.
The hierarchical level in case of consulting careers is vertical in nature where the various hierarchies along with their corresponding job profiles can be enlisted as follows:
A. Top Level/Senior Level Hierarchy
There exists a senior or top level hierarchy which is engaged in the decision making process. This is necessarily a strategic level where highly experienced people with the proper business acumen can steer the company to the path of growth. The corresponding job profiles or levels are:
- Board of Directors
- CEO/Chairman (the designation many vary from one company to another but the roles and responsibilities are the same)
- CFO or Chief Financing Officer
- Business Consulting Director/Manager
- Vice President/Vice Chairman
- Chief Consulting Officer
B. The Middle Level Hierarchy
Just below the top level, there is the middle level which is engaging in activities like team handling and delegation of work, supervising the works of subordinates and coordinating the same. The job profiles under this level of hierarchy include:
- Regional/Zonal Manager or Business Head
- Business/Senior Business Consultant
- Finance consultant
- Business Development Manager
- Business Analyst
- HR/Industrial Relations/Recruitment Consultant
- Technical Consultant
C. The Entry Level Hierarchy
Next is the entry level where employees are actually involved in being the mouthpiece for the organization and bridging the company offerings with the clients, customers or stakeholders. They stay in contact with the market and report to the middle level with the help of follow ups and generating revenues for the company. The profiles are:
- Associate Business Strategy Consultant
- Sales Consultant/Associate
- Admin Executive/Associate
- Associate Business Analyst
- Front Office Executive
In this regard, it must be observed that even though the roles and responsibilities magnify as one goes up the ladder of career growth ascending from one hierarchical level to another, the indispensability of each of the above mentioned job profiles and titles cannot be overlooked. It is the proper synchronization of each and every title and hierarchy that is responsible for fortifying the credo of an organization. Right from the Front Office Executive till the CEO or Chairman, the delegation of responsibilities have been so designed that a collaborative approach can be incorporated while executing the core business operations.