External Consultants and Own Staff: A Marriage of Convenience
Outsourcing
The arrival of consultants within a business is often met with scepticism by the staff, wondering and worrying about the grounds for and outcome of the said consultation. They may feel betrayed by management: Does this mean they are not good enough? What do they know about the work? Will the consultants stumble on something detrimental to their job? Threaten their future in the company? And why should the company recruit expensive outsiders when bonuses and pay rises have become so scarce?
Because consultants work for themselves, their only objective is to meet the needs of their client, and part amicably with if possible a positive reference to develop their client base. They are experts in their field and bring with their experience, a different perspective to the problems that need solving. They are here to support the company and will only gain if they are successful. And the thing to remember – Contrarily to employees, they are not here to stay!
Convincing
Communication is once more, at the core of the project’s success. Company managers and consultants will get the best out of the staff (at all levels) by explaining what the project is about – this is not a question of justifying management’s decision to turn to external help, but rather to explain how much the outcome of the consultation will benefit the company, i.e. everyone employed there - without hindering the budget or the wage bill: it may be about finding solutions without overloading staff, increasing revenue, or updating working processes to make life easier for all involved. Whatever the end goal, informing staff about the ins and outs make them feel “in the loop” and guarantees the best possible collaboration.
Collaborating
To set up the project and gain valuable information, consultants will need a minimum contribution from management and employees.
Management and employees are the core people to provide information on the company, not just as regards strategy but also about relationships with suppliers, reasons for procedures or choice of certain product quality, and all subjective criteria that may be of importance.
With this invaluable information, consultants will then proceed and apply their expert knowledge of the market and the strength of their network to find savings, better procedures and better negotiation terms for the client.
Reaping the benefits
Because they can take a step back, have an unbiased look on the situation, and an extensive expertise of the markets, external consultants are often in a position to obtain better deals than in-house negotiators without compromising on quality and in most cases, with the same supplier(s).
Staff must welcome the results of a consultancy project and learn from it, to improve their own performance and achievements and raise the standards of their department. In the long term, they will be the ones enjoying the benefits – and management’s consideration.
The arrival of consultants within a business is often met with scepticism by the staff, wondering and worrying about the grounds for and outcome of the said consultation. They may feel betrayed by management: Does this mean they are not good enough? What do they know about the work? Will the consultants stumble on something detrimental to their job? Threaten their future in the company? And why should the company recruit expensive outsiders when bonuses and pay rises have become so scarce?
Because consultants work for themselves, their only objective is to meet the needs of their client, and part amicably with if possible a positive reference to develop their client base. They are experts in their field and bring with their experience, a different perspective to the problems that need solving. They are here to support the company and will only gain if they are successful. And the thing to remember – Contrarily to employees, they are not here to stay!
Convincing
Communication is once more, at the core of the project’s success. Company managers and consultants will get the best out of the staff (at all levels) by explaining what the project is about – this is not a question of justifying management’s decision to turn to external help, but rather to explain how much the outcome of the consultation will benefit the company, i.e. everyone employed there - without hindering the budget or the wage bill: it may be about finding solutions without overloading staff, increasing revenue, or updating working processes to make life easier for all involved. Whatever the end goal, informing staff about the ins and outs make them feel “in the loop” and guarantees the best possible collaboration.
Collaborating
To set up the project and gain valuable information, consultants will need a minimum contribution from management and employees.
Management and employees are the core people to provide information on the company, not just as regards strategy but also about relationships with suppliers, reasons for procedures or choice of certain product quality, and all subjective criteria that may be of importance.
With this invaluable information, consultants will then proceed and apply their expert knowledge of the market and the strength of their network to find savings, better procedures and better negotiation terms for the client.
Reaping the benefits
Because they can take a step back, have an unbiased look on the situation, and an extensive expertise of the markets, external consultants are often in a position to obtain better deals than in-house negotiators without compromising on quality and in most cases, with the same supplier(s).
Staff must welcome the results of a consultancy project and learn from it, to improve their own performance and achievements and raise the standards of their department. In the long term, they will be the ones enjoying the benefits – and management’s consideration.
Analyst Summary
Marketing
