The world is changing. This is not a revolutionary statement, and anyone who steps out of their home is very aware of the role change has in the lives of every individual. Though the consulting industry has enjoyed a few decades without major change, that period is over and change is knocking on the door. (Cole, 2015)
With the increasing speed of technological advances, information is readily available to anyone with access to the internet. If someone has a question, if they are curious about something, or they need an answer, going online provides the promise that an answer is available. No longer is the consulting industry able to provide access to an inner sanctum of information, because it is readily available at anyone’s fingertips. (Cole, 2015) Rather than consulting offering organizational leaders access to information, there is an ongoing transformation towards consulting providing the right information backed by a trusted relationship with clients.
In the very near future, consulting is going to move from being project based and product driven to being about the quality relationship a consultant has with the client. This opens up the doors of opportunity for consultants, because there is no longer the pressure to be the information guru with all the answers, they simply need to be the client’s guru who gets what the client needs better than anyone else. This allows more collaboration than competition between consulting firms because consultants are more focused on what is best for the client rather than what is best for themselves. (Czerniawska, 2011) Consultants can move to being facilitators of change, assisting in change engagement and implementation for their client through the relationship they are building.
What area do you see yourself consulting in, and will a relational approach apply to your area of interest?
References
Cole, D. (2015, April 14). The Future of Consulting: Thoughts on How the Industry Should Evolve. Retrieved July 25, 2016, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/future-consulting-thoughts-how-industry-should-evolve-douglas-cole
Czerniawska, F. (2011, December 16). The Outlook for Consulting. Retrieved from http://managementconsultingnews.com/interview-fiona-czerniawska/
