Business Improvement Survey--a New Product

I just created a Business Improvement Survey using Adobe Acrobat.  It was a challenge to create, though it seems to have good functionality.  Working from a variety of client experiences dealing with organizational development and change, I developed a six-part survey to focus on core questions that need to be resolved for change to be successful and supported.

I decided to market this survey via an eBay auction to get people to try the survey.  The cost will be small and it can be used as a self-help survey by most organizations needing to deal with change.

Of course DrM-Resources will provide support for those people trying out the survey if they should wish extra support.  The survey will get clients preferred pricing on any of the other services offered by DrM-Resources.

This blog entry is more than a promotion for the survey (though that would be a good use of the entry, anyway).  This marks one of the first times DrM-Resources has partnered with eBay to help consumers get access to affordable tools they can use to help their businesses improve.  Not only can they get the tools on eBay, they will soon get preferred pricing on the other DrM-Resources services soon to be made available on eBay. 

DrM-Resources and Joelmonty.net already use PayPal for invoicing and payments, and Skype for webinars and other interactive events.  It is only natural to add eBay to the mix.

Becoming a Trusted Advisor--Independent Consulting for Businesses, Not-for-Profit Organizations, and Schools

Syms, in its advertising, says that "an educated consumer is its best customer."  There is a problem about having educated consumers as customers in the consulting services marketplace.  While there are multiple markets, three serve as practical examples--businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and schools.  When leaders in any of these three markets feel a need for consulting services, they go to trusted providers.  Businesses usually go to consulting firms rather than to individuals.  Not-for-profit organizations look for consulting firms specializing in their kind of organization.  Schools frequently look to universities as their source for trusted advisors.

Regardless of how much education and practical experience consulting professionals may have, there is no "instant" way to become a trusted advisor.  Another challenge is that, once someone becomes a trusted advisor the relationship may be considered more personal than professional--making it more difficult to charge and to collect an hourly fee.

LinkedIn.com encourages members to solicit recommendations from others in the member's network.  Recommendations can help begin to build trust between professionals.  Rather than mastering the "Google Ad Words" promotion, it is challenging to create an electronic footprint that allows for people to discover a new "trusted advisor."  Videos on YouTube may be one source for initial connections.

Management Consulting Considerations--Europe and USA

What are the main differences in the American and European ways of running business?

To review some of the cultural differences that impact businesses, look at these two websites:
http://www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_united_states.shtml

http://www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_netherlands.shtml  

These websites provide profiles of the cultures of the United States and of The Netherlands—as an example of Europe. The differences between these two cultures are reflected in the ways of doing business in each culture.

Aside from the cultural differences identified by Hofstede, there are basic differences recognized by the formulation of the European Union. American businesses in the USA share a common language, operate under the same federal laws and regulations—though they are also influenced by state laws and regulations. Their employees largely come from the United States or face one set of immigration and “right to work” laws from the USA. Global firms operating in the USA have the basic regulations of the USA, coupled with the requirements they must meet to operate in each of the different multinational locations they are organized in. In Europe, women and men may be regarded more as equals than is prevalent in the USA. In Europe, multiple languages, cultures, and currencies impact businesses and business consulting.

There are different sizes of business which are looking for consulting and some of their decisions on which consulting firms to engage are based on their comfort zones. In the USA, many of the largest consulting firms with 60,000 plus consultants targeted Information Technology (IT) and added strategy and human resources consulting on top of the IT business. To some extent that is also true in Europe. One major area of difference is that many European firms are more aware of the interconnected nature of change in a business and are more supportive of organized planning efforts to support that change than are some American based organizations.

What advantages could a mid-sized European-owned management consulting firm have in the American market?

What needs to be determined is your target market and fees. Firms such as Accenture and PriceWaterhouseCoopers used to have large teams of junior consultants working and reporting to senior managers or partners. Fees for those large teams were in the millions and that limited the target market to only major players in the industry. If you can target a more middle range and provide both physical presence and virtual support—a blended consulting team approach—with investment requirements (costs) that these companies can manage, that will be a significant advantage in the American market. Another goal will be to make the American market support further global expansion by how you target the market.

Performance and Change Management Consulting for "Big 8-6-5-4" Firms

When I left the U.S. Army after a 10-year career, I was not aware of the "Big 8" Accounting and Consulting firms until I joined one as a Management Consultant in Los Angeles.  Coopers and Lybrand (now part of PriceWaterhouseCoopers) was one of the big firms and I was a management consultant in their Litigation Management practice.

I have been a professional performance and change management consultant for 40+ years.  I began learning how to do what I do so well as a volunteer instructor for the American Red Cross then built skills while on duty as an officer in the U.S. Army.  I continued this practice as a management consultant for my own and for other consulting firms until I went back to earn a doctorate degree to work with even more people and organizations.  After earning my doctorate, I worked again for a "Big 6" Consulting Firm--Andersen World Wide and Andersen Consulting (now Accenture).  Times had changed and I was able to utilize what I had learned in my doctorate degree while working with Andersen Consulting. 

I left Andersen Consulting in 1998 to join another consulting firm as a senior business consultant in change management.

Today there are only four or five major consulting firms like the ones I used to belong to.  Times are changing and one of the real challenges is that client needs are changing, too.

Large consulting firms have large staffs and command high fees.  Large corporations can afford those fees.  Small to mid-sized organizations cannot.  Who takes care of their needs?

There are a few consulting firms that target small to mid-sized businesses.  Beyond that there are lots of individual consultants offering a variety of services.  Unfortunately, the need for service greatly exceeds the availability of consultants.

One person can make a big difference by working at top-levels in a small organization.  That is a tremendous "value added benefit" to small to mid-sized companies seeking out the right consultants at the right time.

What have you done lately?--Common Practice vs. Common Sense

“What have you done lately?” --a question asked of me on Wednesday, August 12th. 2009.

Lately I've done what I have been doing throughout my 40+ year career, helping people and organizations learn to change to improve their quality of (business) life now and for the future.  I incorporate research-based best practices, years of wisdom and experience with more than 100 organizations and thousands of individuals around the world, what I have learned over the years--including earning a doctorate and two masters degrees--and applying all of that in practical, step-by-step approaches that can be learned by children and adults.

A better question could be--who have you done this for lately?  In the summer of 2009, my answer would be based on the different roles I have played. 

As an educator--Since 9-11-2001, I have been working with English language learners (ELLs) in K-12 school systems in Illinois, helping them learn both academic skills and how to work and learn using English.  In that time I have developed innovative techniques in helping students and adults to learn to read better by using audiobooks.

As a consultant--I have begun working on a project to do community needs analyses for chambers of commerce dealing with the workplace learning needs for their members.  The process involves developing a survey, sharing it with the membership, and analyzing the results--offering the results to local school systems who can help fill the learning gaps identified in the surveys.  The Chambers of Commerce take the credit for the survey with their members.  The outcomes help build community resources and economic development.

As a researcher and author--I have recently published 13 research-based working papers in the Education Research Information Clearinghouse (ERIC) focused on various intervention strategies to improve learning for English language learners.

As a reflective practitioner--I have engaged in the process of reflecting on what I do so that I can reach more people who need to learn how to change and have been implementing a variety of communication vehicles on the Internet that will allow more people to work with what I offer to help the people and organizations they work with.

(By the way, to see what I'm doing currently, visit my Projects Wiki space using the link above. I have a well-started pilot project and may need more participants, if you are interested.)

Organization DNA?

Organizations have a DNA. It's sometimes hard to see and it can be identified when you know what you are looking for. One of the clearest examples from my memory was in a global manufacturer who was a consulting client several years ago. My team was conducting a change management survey for the client and we quickly saw that the DNA of the organization included a true valuing of the entrepreneural ("cowboy") spirit. The organization grew by finding successful entrepreneural smaller companies and adding them to their corporate structure. Each of the parts of the now large organization still had a recognizable culture and values and ways to manage power and information. The company's executive team had decided to implement a new computer system that would centralize all of the information and would keep many of the entrepreneural employees away from the information that had been their power base. What that could mean is that the computer system intended to help the organization make more timely and effective decisions and to communicate with all of its components would actually be destroying the trust of its leaders and be undermining the effectiveness of the subordinate units.

What is the DNA of your organization? How can you find it?
You can begin by tracking what you see in electronic folders. If you see a problem, put it in an electronic folder and keep on with your day. After a while, look at the problems you have captured and look for any common elements. Those common elements may point you toward your Organizational DNA.

Why is it important to recognize Organizational DNA?
If you want to keep your organization healthy, dynamic, and growing, you need to understand its DNA and to work with it. If you decide to do a "transplant" of something opposed to your DNA, the organization will "reject it" (the way tissue transplants are sometimes rejected by the human body). You need to work with your Organizationial DNA and your proposed changes to make sure that there is a good fit and blend if you intend to remain healthy and dynamic.

Let me know when you begin to look for your Organization's DNA.