Why are we humans often so impressed with someone’s nationality, the PHD after their name, instead of being impressed with something that will add value to our efforts?
This story is written about country XYZ, where it seems that people are more focused on where the ‘consultant’ comes from than ensuring that the consultant will actually provide a return on the investment of hiring them in the first place.
Is imported always better?
The boardroom filled with smoke and animated banter as executives exchanged views on the latest intelligence related to company and national politics. They were expecting Dr. Harvey Walnose Suspenderbottom, a management consultant from overseas. When Dr. Suspenderbottom entered the room with his mane of red hair and his wide grin, he was greeted with a standing ovation.
There had been a great deal of preparation for his long-awaited visit. The company was going through a deep crisis and his arrival was seen as the first step towards salvation. Individual presentations were made amid the hospitality of coffee, tea, juice and French pastries. The company’s president gave an impressive presentation extolling Dr. Suspenderbottom’s accomplishments and professional acumen.
After consuming an expensive 30 minutes of consultation time with social replicas, the meeting began.
Dr. HWS: Good morning gentlemen. It’s wonderful to be here. I am very impressed with what I have seen so far and look forward to hearing your thoughts on the current state of your business this morning.
President: Gentlemen, I would like each of you to present to Dr. Suspenderbottom your report on the status of conditions in your department.
Executive 1: First, I am responsible for… In the last five years, we have… I think the best solution is to reorganize the company like this… (30 minutes)
executive 2: (Same as above for another 30 minutes).
Executives 3, 4 and 5provide repeat performance.
President: I would like to take this opportunity to summarize and present my views and recommendations now that you have heard everyone’s point of view. You see, this company was founded by my father in … (After about an hour, the President finished his presentation).
Dr. HWS: Well, gentlemen, that was very informative; I have noted down all the salient points.
President: We would like to know what your opinion is.
Dr HWS: There is a lot of information to digest here. I would certainly need a lot of time to reflect on what I have heard. I will definitely provide a full analysis and recommendations in my report.
After about four hours of intensive listening, Dr. Suspenderbottom was pretty exhausted. He placed his elbow firmly on the armrest of his chair and rose from the chair ever so slightly in the same direction. He watched with quiet amusement as several others in the room followed suit.
He was struck by the fact that there was so little documentation at the host organization. In a way, that would make his task a lot lighter, since he wouldn’t have to read through tons of company documents and reports. However, he would make his recommendations less reliable than he would like.
The meeting was finally adjourned at 1:30 p.m. The executives honored Dr. Harvey W. Suspenderbottom with a lavish and very expensive lunch that ended at 4:30 pm, by which time everyone was overwhelmed by the food and confused by the drink. Our overseas consultant was wondering how he was going to write his report and file it before flying to his next assignment in another country. The dinner was equally impressive where our consultant met with some of the organization’s shareholders. However, he managed to write his report in the early hours of the morning, file it in ‘XYZ Country Assignment’ and prepare for the early flight out of this historic city.
The culture of Country XYZ, Harvey reflected, was not easy to understand. He wondered if he had got it right or not, and if there weren’t any good consultants from XYZ countries out there. The time that passed was very nice, but was it really going to be profitable for the company?
He would have liked to have access to much more data than was available. She would have liked to know the language of country XYZ so that she could form her own impressions about different people’s points of view. As it was, he had to rely heavily on only those who spoke his language. She was also surprised by the relaxed pace of his itinerary. Time did not seem to be of the essence. In fact, it was wasted senselessly. But then who was he to complain if people were willing to spend their money that way? With these thoughts, Harvey fell into a deep sleep dreaming of his next mission in the next country.
Two weeks after his departure, the company received a detailed and professionally presented report from Dr. Suspenderbottom. They were surprised to see so many of his own thoughts and recommendations in that report. It seemed that the famous doctor had agreed with almost everything they had said and recommended. They felt very proud that his thoughts were almost identical to his and that his recommendations exactly matched his projected plans. The main concern that the good doctor seemed to have was who would be responsible for overseeing the implementation and follow-up phases of the proposed changes.
Yes! Who will actually be responsible for doing the actual implementation and follow-up, the detailed and hard work required to deliver quality results? Are there really no local XYZ professionals with enough brains and integrity to deliver excellence in the performance of their work? Isn’t it time we stopped being intimidated by imported talent and cheered on some of our own? Up to this point, we’ve done a spectacular job of exporting some of our best human resources and a good chunk of our money in the form of extremely high fees. There has to be a time when we begin to trust ourselves in the belief that we, too, can deliver quality, and quality enhanced by a deep understanding of our culture.
There is a need, at times, to import talented professionals who specialize in specific areas. However, when considering hiring a consultant or professional to assist in restructuring an organization, the following points are worth considering:
- Will the consultant understand the culture in which your organization operates?
- Does the consultant understand your vision? Where do you see his company in 3 years, 5 years, 10 years?
- Will the consultancy report at the end of the project really be applicable in practice in your organization, your market, your industry and/or your country?
The underlying fact is that we need to rethink our service and product offerings at a fundamental level. We need to go beyond our current capabilities, be innovative, inquisitive and proactive in our assessment of our clients’ potential future needs and expectations. If we want to differentiate ourselves, to be a leader rather than a follower in our industry, we must move forward aggressively.
To be aggressive, we often need an objective third party to observe, analyze and identify ways in which we can adjust, modify and/or create new operating processes to better ensure that we are capable and have the necessary resources (both material and human). to successfully implement the changes that will be necessary to compete effectively and profitably.
However, we need a qualified consultant or consulting firm, not only based on nationality, degrees, etc., but also based on competence and experience, to look at our delivery model, analyze and understand our delivery infrastructure. support, ensuring that we have the right tools, that we know the best practices in our industry, that we can extend existing processes and procedures to ensure customer satisfaction and ensure our sustainability and growth.
Price is, of course, a consideration. But to coin a common phrase, “you get what you pay for”, it is a very relevant fact. When comparing and choosing an outside consultant, it is essential that we have a specific list of criteria that will allow us to fully and accurately analyze and then make a decision on who or which consulting firm will best meet our immediate and future needs and be best able to provide us with the result that will best guarantee our progress towards future success.