Despite the mistrust that consultants often inspire in many companies, it should be recognised that they can bring real added value — if you know how to carefully sort through the abundance of offers and proposals on the market.
Because there are different types of consultants. Companies, institutions and authorities seeking their services would do well to clearly define the role they expect these external parties to play.
It is essential to clarify whether strategic, tactical or operational support is required. In the latter case, the use of a consultant often appears to be irrelevant: where actors capable of ‘doing’ rather than ‘getting things done’ are needed, external intervention is likely to be ill-suited.
The choice of an external consultant must meet several fundamental criteria:
• Alignment with the consultant’s DNA: many claims to be able to do everything — which is rarely the case. Expertise must be targeted, verified and contextualised.
• The organisation’s capacity for action: are we ready to implement the recommendations resulting from the analysis? If not, it is better not to hire a consultant.
• Internal cultural maturity: is the organisation ready to welcome a third party, often perceived as an ‘inquisitor’ or a ‘spoilsport’?
• The consultant’s adaptability: do they come with a rigid, ‘copy-paste’ approach, or are they able to adapt to the specific context of the company?
• Relational chemistry: is the relationship based on partnership, or does it turn into a power struggle from the outset?
Except for large groups, which sometimes need recognised consultants for legal or legitimacy reasons, most SMEs can opt for a different approach: pragmatic support, rooted in operational reality.
Grand theories and generic principles — such as the famous ‘there is always 20% potential for savings’ — often touted by large firms, can be intimidating. They do not promote trust, particularly among middle management, even if these firms themselves are not particularly concerned about this: their clients are often located at a different level of the hierarchy.
SMEs are looking for concrete, proven solutions, delivered by consultants who understand their needs and can strike a balance between their objectives and the constraints on the ground.
Having worked with several companies as a consultant for over seven years, I have observed one constant: what initially sparked interest—at least in most cases—was not my programme or my proposals, but my background, my experience, and my operational and strategic knowledge.
This reinforces my belief that:
a) There is a place for everyone in this sector, provided they position themselves correctly.
b) Clients need to know themselves well enough to choose the right type of consultant.
c) SMEs need turnkey solutions, often far removed from grand theoretical discourse.
It is up to everyone to form their own opinion. But lambasting ‘consulting’, often perceived by managers as a ‘spanner in the works’, is undoubtedly not the most constructive solution.
Good luck, enjoy the read — and see you soon.