Think You’re Ready to Hire a Corporate Consulting Firm?

Posted by on June 1, 2010

Here are 5 ways to know for sure.

Organizations typically seek the help of outside corporate consultants to provide strategic advice or solve complex problems that cannot be sufficiently handled internally. Usually, the process of hiring a consultant is surrounded by excitement and anticipation of what the consultant will do for the organization. At the same time, an outsider can bring out a mix of fear, doubt, and uncertainty that, if left unchecked, will act as roadblocks to an otherwise successful process. Too often, leaders call on consultants without understanding the attributes necessary to work effectively with an outside firm.

Before hiring a corporate consultant, find out if your senior management and key staff are equipped for success.

Look for these 5 key traits:

1. Transparency:

Individuals who are part of the consultant’s process must be willing and able to provide candid, honest, and transparent information to the outside consultant. This can be hard for people who fear being blamed, want to avoid potential conflict, or simply distrust the process. Like a doctor attempting to diagnose a disease, members of the organization must be willing to disclose the “dirty little secrets” that hide in the nooks and crannies of the organization.

2. Open to Criticism:

Before hiring an outside management consulting firm, it’s important to know if the members of the organization will be receptive to critical evaluation. A consultant is typically not brought into an organization to pat people on the back and tell them what a great job they’re doing (though that certainly happens!). More often, when we go into an organization we are there to critically evaluate what’s going on and to offer concrete solutions. This criticism must be effectively absorbed into the organization.

3. Receptive to Change:

What if the consulting firm asks your organization to make significant changes? Or even small changes? How will the leadership and staff of your organization respond? An investment in outside perspective will be wasted by an organization that lacks the willingness and ability to change.

4. Commitment:

Rarely will you find a consulting project that requires no effort or time from the client organization. Instead, a typical consulting engagement requires members of the organization to donate their time, information, and expertise toward the consulting project. Certainly, the consultant will do the majority of the work behind the scenes but you’ve got to be realistic about the time and effort required of key leaders, managers, and staff members.

5. Leadership Support:

Successful consulting engagements are grounded in support of upper management and corporate leaders. When leaders act as champions for the consulting firm, their support makes way for a more productive and successful project. Before you embark on a consulting project, ensure that the leaders who will be affected by the outcome of the consulting engagement are on board.

Hiring a corporate consulting firm is a big step for any organization. Before you begin, assess your readiness with the 5 attributes described above. With these attributes in place, organizations will find a much more successful outcome from the consulting process.
To learn more, read our recent article, “Why You Should Not Hire a Management Consulting Firm.”

Author: Joe D. Evans, President, Method Frameworks

For permission to reprint this copyrighted article, contact Method Frameworks at articles@methodframeworks.com.

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