Introducing the Above N Beyond Blog
The why, what and how of a balanced approach to organisational consulting
It’s been over three decades since Arthur N. Turner wrote his defining piece on consulting titled ‘Consulting is more than giving advice’ in the Harvard Business Review; but every point that he’s made in it rings true even today.
Most organisations engage consultants because they’re looking for an external/ expert point of view on their internal challenges, an opinion that’s unencumbered by legacy thinking. Sometimes, they just want to validate what they already know and help put together a structured solution through methodical intervention.
But like Turner has rightly said, “The engagement characteristically concludes with a written report or oral presentation that summarizes what the consultant has learned and that recommends in some detail what the client should do.”
And herein lies the problem. Surely, accurate diagnosis of the issue is important, as are recommendations that are practical and implementable on ground. But a consultant’s role in ensuring that implementation does take place is what makes the difference between success and failure. Helping build internal consensus, facilitating client learning and setting processes – this is the unglamorous, yet most crucial aspect of consulting.
The biggest advantage of an execution-centric approach to consulting is that keeps you grounded. It eliminates fancy reports that sound good in theory, but are practically impossible to pull off.
That’s why our approach at Above N Beyond is to delve deep into the client organization; understand the context and constraints and take a holistic view that respects the fine balance between customer success, people success and business metrics.
Our Above N Beyond blog is a platform to talk about interesting concepts around management and other aspects of running a business; share our learnings along the way and give readers an insight into our consulting philosophy.
Do subscribe and read, comment, agree, disagree, and learn with us.
Happy Reading!