Human Resources Consulting: An Interview with Manuel Díaz Ruiz

Human Resources Consultant working with a digital talent and team management interface.

Manuel Díaz Ruiz serves as Technical Director of Human Resources Consulting at IN DIEM. His professional career has focused on business organization, team management, recruitment, and strategic consulting for private and public entities.

Throughout his career, he has participated in projects with organizations across various sectors, contributing his expertise in internal assessment processes, organizational design, job evaluation, training, and human resources planning.

As part of his responsibilities at IN DIEM, he leads and provides consulting services focused on the design and implementation of organizational models, recruitment, job classification, job evaluation, organizational assessment, and staff training. He also participates in programs related to innovation, entrepreneurship, startups, financing, smart capital, and European grants.

Our colleague Anna interviews him to gain a deeper understanding of his perspective on human resources consulting and its importance within a business organization.

Anna: What does a Psychologist do in the world of Human Resources and Business Organization?

Manuel Díaz: My professional beginnings were in Personnel Selection, applying test batteries and conducting psycho-professional interviews. My viewpoint back then, as it remains today, was that to properly carry out a Personnel Selection process, it was not enough to understand the position to be filled; one had to know the environment in which the new employee would work and, logically, have a deep understanding of the company and its philosophies and strategies. This led me over several years to consult for numerous companies in different business areas, and in each of them, I learned something new, which began to give me a global vision for understanding each client’s strategies.

Therefore, when I went to a new client, I had already experienced their situation or a similar one with another client, making it easy to extrapolate that experience. Consequently, clients began to trust me, as they understood that my practical training was very versatile.

Anna: From Seville to Madrid and to Europe…

Manuel Díaz: After five years working in Human Resources Consulting, primarily in Personnel Selection, I was presented with the challenge of moving to Madrid as a Senior Manager in the Consulting and Management Area of one of the “Big Four,” where I held that position for several years, expanding my professional services to Comprehensive Human Resources Management.

I was no longer just doing Selection; I incorporated Training Plans, Salary Policies, Incentives, etc.

Anna: And how is the jump to Organizational Consulting?

Manuel Díaz: Basically, my work is supported by the trust the client places in the Consultant. Over time, you become their confidant, and they ask for your opinion on many matters within the company… and outside of it.

Certainly, professional successes strengthen your position with the client, making you an extraordinary support for the managers of Client Companies who, ultimately, ask you for help on numerous fronts—not necessarily within your area of expertise—but you seek out the best professionals so that, through clear and transparent alliances, they provide the service to your client.

Anna: So, you become a manager…

Manuel Díaz: Clients do not want to have many interlocutors providing services; they prefer to speak with only one who coordinates the teams, and that is essentially my job.

Because of that and my accumulated experience, you become a sort of one-man band capable of doing everything from Personnel Selection to the complete Organization of a Company.

Anna: And… how is the work done?

Manuel Díaz: The principle is always the same. We do not undertake any work without first conducting a diagnostic study of the Company’s situation at all levels, analyzing strengths and weaknesses and proposing what we call a “recommendation board,” where we indicate all the measures the entrepreneur must take to face the challenges they intend to undertake.

The next step is to define the Company’s organizational charts, both Hierarchical and Functional, with an exhaustive Job Definition and Evaluation.

With this tool in our possession, we work in two directions. On one hand, we prepare the Human Resources Management Manual, and on the other, we prepare all kinds of Procedure Manuals for each area of the Company, thereby defining the Organization, the Jobs, their functions, and the work processes.

Anna: In the years you have been working, you must have seen everything, right?

Manuel Díaz: Yes, indeed. Consider that when working with numbers or machines, the limits are clearly defined, but when working with people, the nuances, individual viewpoints, and their scales of values and priorities often surprise you. You have to learn to value people’s viewpoints in an objective, almost mechanical way. The same phenomenon is interpreted in a thousand ways by people, and even more so when it refers to labor or economic issues.

Anna: You talk about the workers, but the employers must have their own issues too…

Manuel Díaz: Without a doubt. That is where the professionalism and ethical standards of each of us come in, to accept or decline a work assignment that might border on illegality or not comply with the law.

Anna: For example?

I had an unfortunate experience with an employer who did not want to hire a disabled woman. She had polio in her legs. But the job was at a weighing scale window in an olive company. The most important part of the position was basically handling spreadsheets fluently. Furthermore, the girl was charming, perfect for dealing with the staff who brought the trucks.

Anna: And successes?

Manuel Díaz: The greatest success is when the phone rings and it is someone who wants you to work for their company because someone has spoken well of you.

We always say that our best salesperson is a satisfied customer.

Can you tell us about some cases?

Manuel Díaz: Well, look, one I feel particularly satisfied with was when I organized Sevilla Football Club. Three years after the reorganization, the Club had balanced its accounts and was playing in the UEFA Cup, which has been followed by so many triumphs since.

In fact, other First Division clubs have contacted me to replicate the model in their clubs; we shall see.

Another case I am very proud of was the selection of the first eighty workers for Diario de Sevilla prior to its launch. We completed that work in three months, working flat out every day of the week, including Saturdays and Sundays, and at ungodly hours. Every time the President of Grupo Joly sees me, he tells whoever is with him who I am and the work I did.

Anna: But currently, your range of professional services is very diversified…

Manuel Díaz: As I mentioned before, in the end, you are a generalist Consultant who helps clients with specific Organization and Human Resources issues, but you also support other areas such as Quality, Auditing, Entrepreneurship, and most recently, we have created a service office for European grant applications, which we call the European Management Bureau.

We work for both private companies and the Administration at Local, Regional, and National levels.

Anna: You are based in Seville…

Manuel Díaz: After a few years away in Madrid, Paris, Brussels, and Frankfurt, although I have always maintained an office in Seville, I came to the conclusion that I could live wherever I wanted, as in the end, it is a matter of the last plane you take during the week.

And I decided that Seville, my homeland, is a wonderful place to live.

Experts in human resources consulting and business organization

At IN DIEM Abogados, we offer legal advice and strategic consulting to companies, professionals, and organizations that need to streamline their internal structure, improve their work processes, or strengthen their team management.

Human resources and organizational consulting allows companies to analyze their current situation, identify strengths and weaknesses, define roles, evaluate job positions, and establish more efficient internal procedures.

  • Human resources consulting for companies, institutions, and organizations.
  • Organizational chart design, job description development, and job evaluation.
  • Recruitment, organizational assessment, and team planning.
  • Legal and labor advice related to the company’s internal management.
  • Strategic support for business reorganization, growth, or transformation processes.

If your company needs a professional assessment of its structure, teams, or internal processes, please contact our team to receive initial guidance tailored to your needs.


Preguntas frecuentes sobre consultoría de recursos humanos y organización empresarial

¿Qué es la consultoría de recursos humanos?

La consultoría de recursos humanos ayuda a las empresas a analizar, organizar y mejorar la gestión de sus equipos, incluyendo selección de personal, formación, valoración de puestos, políticas internas y planificación de recursos humanos.

¿Por qué es importante conocer la empresa antes de seleccionar personal?

Porque un buen proceso de selección no depende solo del puesto a cubrir, sino también del entorno de trabajo, la cultura empresarial, la estrategia de la compañía y las necesidades reales del equipo en el que se integrará la persona seleccionada.

¿Qué aporta un diagnóstico organizativo?

El diagnóstico organizativo permite detectar fortalezas, debilidades, problemas internos y oportunidades de mejora. A partir de ese análisis pueden proponerse medidas concretas para ordenar la estructura, mejorar procesos y afrontar nuevos retos empresariales.

¿Qué es una valoración de puestos de trabajo?

Es un análisis técnico que permite definir funciones, responsabilidades, competencias y peso relativo de cada puesto dentro de la organización. Puede servir para ordenar la estructura interna, diseñar políticas salariales y mejorar la gestión de equipos.

¿Para qué sirve un organigrama jerárquico y funcional?

El organigrama jerárquico muestra las relaciones de autoridad dentro de la empresa, mientras que el funcional permite comprender cómo se distribuyen tareas, responsabilidades y procesos. Ambos ayudan a clarificar la organización y evitar duplicidades o vacíos de gestión.

¿Qué incluye un manual de gestión de recursos humanos?

Puede incluir políticas de selección, formación, evaluación del desempeño, retribución, comunicación interna, organización de equipos, procedimientos laborales y criterios de actuación para homogeneizar la gestión interna de la empresa.

¿La consultoría de organización sirve solo para grandes empresas?

No. También puede ser útil para pymes, startups, entidades públicas, clubes, asociaciones y organizaciones en crecimiento que necesitan ordenar sus equipos, profesionalizar procesos o preparar una fase de expansión.

¿Cuándo conviene revisar la estructura interna de una empresa?

Conviene hacerlo cuando la empresa crece, cambia su modelo de negocio, detecta conflictos internos, necesita contratar perfiles clave, quiere mejorar su eficiencia o debe adaptar sus procesos a nuevas exigencias laborales, organizativas o estratégicas.

¿Qué relación existe entre recursos humanos y asesoramiento jurídico-laboral?

La gestión de personas debe coordinarse con la normativa laboral aplicable. Por eso, la consultoría de recursos humanos puede complementarse con asesoramiento jurídico-laboral para revisar contratos, funciones, responsabilidades, políticas internas y posibles riesgos legales.

¿Cómo puede ayudar IN DIEM en consultoría de recursos humanos?

IN DIEM puede ayudar a empresas y organizaciones en diagnóstico interno, diseño de organigramas, selección de personal, valoración de puestos, formación, planificación de equipos, reorganización empresarial y asesoramiento jurídico-laboral vinculado a la gestión interna.


In-person, online, and urgent service. 24-hour support.

IN DIEM Abogados provides in-person, online, and emergency legal assistance from its offices in Madrid, Seville, Málaga, Marbella, Estepona, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Almería, and Huelva, serving clients throughout Spain.

The firm has a multidisciplinary team composed of specialized attorneys and professionals with experience in the judicial, tax, commercial, technology, criminal, administrative, and business fields, which allows it to approach each matter from a technical, strategic, and practical perspective.

In addition, IN DIEM Abogados offers urgent assistance when the nature of the matter requires an immediate response or a quick initial assessment of the case.


Would you like to know more about IN DIEM Abogados? Here is this short introductory video…

To acknowledge some of you, here’s this link.

You can find us in Seville, Madrid, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Málaga, Tomares, Coria del Río, Dos Hermanas, Mairena del Alcor, Estepona, Marbella, and Mairena del Aljarafe. We look forward to serving you.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Legal Vision

Other posts on our blog that might interest you

ERTE Due to Force Majeure and COVID-19: Criteria from the General Directorate of Labor

ERTE: Unemployment Benefits and Subsidies for Workers

Paternity Leave