5 tips for getting the most from consultants during change

Think back to a change program that you've worked on recently. Did you have all the necessary skills inhouse or did you work with a team of consultants?

If your company has, or is planning on, engaging the services of a consultancy, I thought an article published in Strategic Communication Management would hold some useful pieces of advice on how to work productively with consultants during current or future change programs.

The article's author, consultant Christopher Hannegan, says "If your consultancy does their job well, they'll not only show you how it was done before, but they'll help you to develop your own strategies in ways that provide learning opportunities for your team.

Below are Hannegan's 5 top tips on how you can develop a strong and productive relationship with your consulting firm.

1.Get a direct line to the project's core team
For you to craft the story about what's changing, why and what it means, you need direct access to the decision-making body of your company's transformation program. Typically, this is a core team or steering committee with representation from senior leadership, business units and their counterparts from the consulting firm. Being visible to this group sends a message that your CEO is viewing communication as a critical enabler of the change and allows you to hear discussions and decisions first-hand.

It probably isn't necessary for you to attend every meeting, but work with the project manager to get the meeting calendar and know when particular important topics may be discussed. In cases where it's not possible for you to participate directly for political or other reasons, appoint someone to listen on your behalf and represent your views; this is often a chief strategy officer or chief operating officer.

2. Identify your counterpart at the consulting firm
Management consulting firms are increasingly adding functional capability to their service offerings so they can not only help clients plan for their business transformation, but also develop the people-related strategies to support it. Ask who the designated communication, change management or human capital consultant is and then validate that selection by making sure the person has genuine experience in that area - it's unfortunately not always the case.

Once you've identified and vetted your counterpart, begin developing a strong relationship immediately. They can help you navigate the complexities of a program management office (PMO) and help ensure you're getting information from and access to the project teams.

3. Get agreement on the scope of the communication efforts for each phase
A typical transformation program has three distinct phases: opportunity definition, design and planning, and implementation. The communication needs for each phase vary significantly, yet they all build on each other. Get agreement as quickly as possible on what the scope of the communication program should be for each phase and work with your counterpart to clearly identify what the communication deliverables for each phase will be. Depending on the nature of the transformation, you may need three separate communication strategies and messages for each phase.

4. Get agreement on how "deep" in the organization your team will play
The communication needs can seem endless and overwhelming if you don't identify what's in scope and out of scope for your team early on. Typically, a corporate communication team will work with their counterparts at the consulting firm to create the overall communication plan, and be involved in business-unit level communication for the highly sensitive parts of the transformation. Another decision to make early on is if you'll play a role in communication related to management of the program, including early communication to people chosen to work on the project teams and to senior leadership to keep them apprised of the program's progression.

5. Leverage the firm's past experience
As an in-house communicator, it's not to be expected that you or your team has the specialized expertise to develop and implement change communication plans. Rely on your management consultancy counterpart for their expertise and perspective as "outsiders". If they're doing their job well, they'll not only show you how it was done before, but they'll help you to develop your own strategies in ways that provide learning opportunities for you and your team.

Until next time,

P.S. Are you a member of the Internal Comms Hub or a subscriber to Strategic Communication Management? If so, register your FREE place at the upcoming member-exclusive event on Thursday 23rd April in Manchester. The event is themed around "How to offer maximum value as a communication function". Find out more about the event. Not a member yet? Join now to attend!

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