Consultants on the other hand tend to use a specific set of systems, decision-making tools, analytical processes and techniques and they impart viable solutions in order to resolve a problem. So you could say that consultants are effective in diagnosing issues or misalignments whereas experts have a deeper understanding of the markets and projects related to them. The key for any organisation is to find and deploy a blend of both: an expert with the relevant track record of embedded experience who also has the ability to overlay their knowledge with a consultative lens in the context of a specific client assignment.
There are a plethora of consulting roles in the business services category and in some cases it can be quite difficult to define the types of knowledge that these management and strategy consultants possess. This matter becomes more complex due to the fact that the required knowledge will depend greatly on the industry and target market related to the project or assignment at hand.
It is important to remain aware of how management consultancies or market research companies source and develop the skills and expertise they offer. Strategy consultants, for example, will often work with the client to understand the business situation and the issues it faces. In general, performance management and dealing with risk and uncertainty in decision-making situations are critical from the perspective of an expert or a consultant.
Having an active understanding of the relevant costs and expected value can lead to effective scenario planning and a more accurate evaluation of viable routes and possible outcomes.
In terms of quality of expertise, of those surveyed by Pangea SI, over 50% said their organisation had gone on to make a positive investment decision which was “at least in part” due to the information they were able to access through our market experts.
30% reported an “increase” and 65% reported a “significant increase” in their decision-making confidence as a result of having received impartial insights from subject matter experts outside of their own networks through Pangea SI.
The expertise required will be influenced by the client's existing strategy and their degree of inclination to pursue a particular path for moving forwards. Pangea SI's discussions with various professional communities have brought to light the reality that collaborative approaches and combined perspectives are vital for carving success pathways. Due to the high level of judgement involved in strategic decisions, knowledge and collaboration are key determinants of breakthrough results.
86% of employees and executives cite lack of collaboration for workplace failures. On a similar note, Fortune 500 companies lose at least $31.5 billion a year by failing to share knowledge, according to International Data Corp.
Given that standards and targets can change rapidly, deciding how you will gain the right knowledge for your organisation is essential. It is vital that you are able to acquire expertise and insight that fits with the market dynamics you are dealing with. Creating experience and knowledge typically involves substantial costs and requires a sustained effort so you should evaluate your options.
If internal intellectual resources are inadequate or if there is a willingness and ability to delegate problem-solving activities to professionals outside of your organisation, then there is an opportunity to make certain processes more efficient and strategic decisions more effective.
Stakeholders outside of the organisation can also play a crucial role in facilitating knowledge development that can lead to an improvement of existing people issues as well as new levels of success.
Since the nature of consulting services is evolving and the perspectives on how consultants should be deployed are expanding, taking time to reflect on this is important.
Some questions to ask:
Finding the right experts should not be a laboured process which is why our custom vetting process is both comprehensive and considered so that our clients are presented only with experts who have a relevant history of results. Thus enabling strategic action that is truly focused and forward-thinking.
Pangea SI Experts, each with over 20 years of experience in their niche, shared their independent and unbiased knowledge during the consultation session.
They were able to weigh the pros and cons of the different technologies under consideration and shared their experiences on some of the key components of executing projects in this field.
I was positively surprised that Pangea SI were so on my wavelength. They delivered a really high-quality solution to me exceptionally quickly – it was really easy from my end and the results of our partnership have been very positive.”
Our vetted Experts are micro-niche specialists with proven and credible experience in their respective fields. We can also connect businesses with Experts embedded within more industry-wide challenges.
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The direct consultations with our Experts are fully personalised. The expertise delivered will always align with the client’s project specifications: whether you are reacting to a market opportunity, a shift in macro-environmental factors or reaching a certain business stage which requires strategic validation.
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Our team ensures great matches based on the detailed requirements of our client, a constructivist perspective of their research challenge and selecting experts with experience, domain expertise and achievements most salient to the client's project.
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