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In today's business it is nearly unthinkable to move ahead without relying on external counsel
and perspective. Business has become too demanding, markets too volatile and organizations
too complex to keep going strong on their own. Outsiders with experience and expertise that
cross disciplinary and industrial borders are valuable assets as they have the potential needed
to breathe fresh energy into stale structures or processes. But their role should not be limited
to simply transferring specific knowledge or solving a particular problem, it should extend
further into a realm of empowering troubled organizations to get back on their own feet. This
is nowhere more important than in the case of strategy consulting.
Every organization, even if it is in deep trouble, structurally or financially, possesses reserves
of deep-lying insight, expertise and unique knowledge, amassed over the course of its
development, which can be used to help itself out. Consultants need to be aware that tapping
these resources is often a much more effective course of action than imposing solutions
that are poorly customized to its business culture, values and experiences. Truly credible
consulting services are those that encourage businesses to seek their own voice, building
independence and autonomy, rather than taking over thinking processes and responsibility.
Properly leveraging internal knowledge of an organization in the process of strategy consulting
is only possible if clients understand that their role in the thinking process and the ensuing
implementation needs to be active. It is not a question of somebody from the outside coming
in to solve the internal problems with nearly magical methods, it is a question of deep-level
collaboration that is necessary to target and tackle problems head-on. This means taking on a
degree of responsibility for the consulting process, seeking active management and being an
effective client.
Businesses have a tremendous potential to develop their own sound judgment, especially if
they become more analytical and information-intensive about their operations, democratic in
their organization and deliberative in their actions. This might not be enough to completely
do away with external competency, but its main role would be returned to what it is meant to
be – advising a client on an issue in a way that makes it stronger and more capable to solve
problems in the future.
Business Educators is a groundbreaking online resource that enables companies and
business schools to engage with and hire top US business academics for strategy consulting
assignments.
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