mrgsm021:

 

I just don't get companies who get the so-called consultants involved in workplace transformations when these consultants know nothing about your company structure, policy, culture, inner workings, the ICT systems and platforms, and yet the best/most suitable people to get involved in such transformation are actually right there all along - the employees.

 

The sweet spot is somewhere in the middle. In my experience, most businesses' staff are very busy with the BAU work load so they simply don't have the capacity to staff a major, transformational project. Also, transformational projects mean new tools and technology that the current staff have no experience with. As you say, the consultants lack understanding of the business' unique character, but they are not sufficiently funded to take the time to acquire that understanding. To make things worse, consultants do tend to see every problem as a nail, when they have a lot of hammers in their toolbox. And finally, when all is done and dusted, the business has no money left to train the staff in the new tools.

So you generally need some outside help from people who are specialists in new stuff you are introducing, but who are not required long term.