Independence
Unlike a permanent employee, who may be subject to the internal ‘politics’ of an organisation, consultants bring an independent perspective to their work. A good consultant will always be unbiased and objective, as they have no personal connection to the organisation. Their ‘out-of-box’ thinking means they can focus only on the goal/plan agreed with their client, without being caught up in internal distractions.
Cost effective
Beyond the immediate fees paid to the consultant, organisations deploying external expertise for individual projects do not incur overhead costs, such as providing benefits, or even having to supply a computer and a workspace. In addition, once a project is completed, consultants can be retired, meaning that an organisation no longer incurs costs.
In comparison, when hiring a permanent member of staff, companies will need to pay their salary all year long, while if an organisation hands a permanent contract to someone who turns out not to be a good fit, it can be an expensive and exhausting process to have to remove them, and start again.
Creative thinking
Without being tied to certain ways of doing things, or a company’s historic culture and methods, consultants can also deploy their objectivity toward important creative solutions. Without having to consider whether or not their future work might depend on currying favour with a business’ executives, they are able to deliver breakthrough insights and strategic thinking at odds with what a client might typically have thought of.
Expertise
A business consultant will usually operate in narrow areas, meaning they can bring detailed and in-depth expertise required for any given sector or organisation. On top of the in-depth training many firms will furnish a consultant with, advisors will work with multiple clients in their specialist area, making them aware of the latest trends and developments in the field – enabling organisations to stay ahead of the curve and get the maximum potential out of new methods and models.
Industry best practices
Leading on from that, the diversity in a consultant’s experience will put them in a good position to provide insight in best practices. By working with and learning from the best performers in industry, the consultants have a large experience of using many different processes, and have selected and fine tuned the best to help your business.
Credibility
An organisation may not have the required skill set to secure a project, as their client requires a certain level of experience and expertise. In order to secure and deliver the project, an organisation may need to hire a consultant who has that particular skill and experience. This will allow the organisation to secure and deliver the project, but also allows their own employees to gain the relevant experience in that sector for future projects.
Capacity
There will be times when any business will need to make a start non a project for which it simply does not have the relevant talent pool or expertise at all or available at that point in time, because many times their employees will be finishing another project whilst a new one is starting. Therefore a business will require a consultant to fill the gap, this is generally most beneficial during project pre-construction and close out.
Difficult decisions
By virtue of being objective, consultants can also be tasked with making difficult decisions. The process of identifying the required project team and implementing staff cuts, for instance, can be influenced by and damaging for team dynamics if administered internally. Consultants, meanwhile, have an objective lens through which they can identify where to make changes and make them with a sufficient amount of emotional distance.