What about the companies we see in the news (at least in the financial and business news) as they struggle to survive? It’s not always about the money. One thing leaders of companies on the brink of failure should look at is how well their company solves problems. The first step is the correct identification of the problems. If hiring large problem solving firms of consultants hasn’t stopped the bleeding, so to speak, perhaps the approach to problem solving needs to be reassessed. Most large problem solving consulting firms do wonderful work but there may be times when they don’t achieve success, through no fault of their own. Their lack of success in certain situations may result from how the consulting firm was introduced. In the rush to solve the problems immediately, management may not properly introduce the problem solvers to company personnel. The consulting firm is put behind the eight ball with no real chance for success. If that happens, management should consider if a single problem solving consultant might achieve the opening of the lines of communication so that problem solving can begin. Why would single “no-name” problem solvers have an advantage in such circumstances? A single consultant could be introduced as a new member of management or the HR department, or whatever. He or she can focus upon getting the problems identified correctly, communicate directly with the parties involved and not worry about any advance PR campaign which was put out by management. There’s a time and place for large scale consulting organizations to become involved. In many situations such firms do a wonderful job of identifying problems and implementing realistic solutions. But when their efforts fail, leaders should consider the single practitioner approach before closing the doors.
