Does Your Business Need A Management Consultant?

So, year-end has come and gone, and your sights are now firmly fixed on the financial year ahead. But what is the next step for your business? If 2016 was more of a struggle than a success, then maybe it is time to re-evaluate the processes, people and even the purpose of your business. Many managers make the mistake of running blindly forwards with an end goal in sight, but they miss huge opportunities to take the business skyward if only they had changed course slightly, deviating to the left or right. Here we consider the role of management consultants in helping you to identify any necessary changes to improve your business performance.

Why do I need to change?

The answer is you may not need to, however being open to change in the first place is half the battle. Change is a tricky concept; for some, it brings excitement, adrenalin yet others find the uncertainty daunting and disruptive. If you have seen falls in profit or productivity, then there are more than likely some areas that need tweaking to get you back up to par, or maybe you are a rising SME you would benefit from expert direction. It is not always easy to spot the right areas to change in order to bring about measurable improvements, and this is where effective management consultancy comes in. Experts in their field, management consultants work to fix businesses and help them stay fixed, by quickly identify strengths and weaknesses and offering ways to improve.

What do I need to change?

This will depend heavily on several factors such as the success of your marketing strategy and the profitability of the end product. If you have a willing team who are unskilled, then training in the latest technology will bring them up to date and increase their productivity, if your popularity of your product is waning then now is the time to invest in redevelopment in order to meet consumer demands. Your management consultant will monitor your current processes and complete a thorough analysis before making suggestions on what could improve.

How do I change?

For efficient and effective change, firstly you need to identify a consultancy agency. There are thousands of agencies around and you need to select the right consultant who can offer industry specific insight into your business and help you develop a strategy going forward. Their job is to not only provide expert advice, but also to deliver it from an impartial viewpoint to your teams as a third-party entity. This is particularly crucial when delivering potentially difficult news, such as budget cuts and redundancies. If relationships have been strained between team members and managers, a consultant can act as a mediator and provide a solid foundation going forward on which the team can build upon. Whether you need to change your processes, redevelop the end product or adjust the organisational structure, the response of your core team to change is going to have a vast impact on whether said change is actually implemented or not.

How often do I change?

Consulting services are most effective when implemented and revisited on a regular basis. The use of management consultancy is much like visiting a mechanic with your car where you can choose to invest in a full service to address any issues early on and help it run more smoothly and efficiently long term. Your business may continue to run fine without consultancy, however by investing in their expertise you will see your business thrive not just survive.