Qualify Inhouse Consultants for their job

Inhouse consulting is booming in the age of digital transformation of the economy. And rightly so! Because the larger and more complex the change plans or transformation projects in the companies, the greater their need for know-how and practical support in change management - especially in the implementation of strategies at the departmental and process level. In the VUKA world, which is characterized by rapid change and decreasing predictability, this need is often so great that it cannot be met by external consultants alone.

Many large companies recognized this years ago and set up in-house consulting departments - partly for cost reasons, but primarily to have more competence in strategy development and implementation in-house.

Build on your own competence and trust
This was and is a wise decision, because in-house consultants have the following advantages over external consultants:

- You know the culture, history, and workflow of the organization.
- You don't have to be trained first.
- They are anchored in the organization and have an internal company network.
- They are always available and approachable in case of acute problems. And:
- They are colleagues with whom the people concerned (often) have more trust than with outsiders.

These advantages are invaluable, especially when it comes to strategy implementation in day-to-day operations, where many (seemingly) small details have to be taken into account.

This is also increasingly recognized by medium-sized industry. The classic management consultancies, on the other hand, often still regard in-house consultants as unwelcome competition and overlook the fact that internal consultants have other strengths than external ones - strengths that largely lie in the area of support for strategy implementation at the divisional and process level.

Step towards a "learning organisation
Therefore, external consultants should actually support companies in setting up internal consultations. Because these are a central building block in the development of a company towards a learning organization.

However, it is important to keep in mind: Not all in-house consulting is the same. This is because in-house consultants perform different functions in their organizations. Put simply, three groups of consultants can be distinguished:

1. Knowledge multipliers and implementation facilitators at the operational level,
2. Change consultants and supporters on the project management and middle management level and
3. Strategy (implementation) consultant at the top management level of companies.

The aforementioned groups of in-house consultants have different functions in the companies. So they also need a different profile. The differences between their tasks and thus the competence requirements for them are briefly described below.

1. knowledge multipliers and implementation facilitators at the operational level
This group of consultants is often employees of companies who, for example, have undergone technical or commercial training and have already gained several years of professional experience. During this time, they demonstrated their professional skills. In addition, they demonstrated above-average competence in dealing with and, in some cases, leading people. That's why their employer decided to also use them as consultants and supporters in change projects, where large groups of employees often have to be qualified in a short time.

Typical projects in which these consultants, who often perform their consulting function on a part-time basis, are involved are the introduction of cross-departmental team and project work in production. Or the anchoring of CIP or lean thinking in the organization.

The core tasks of these consultants in the above-mentioned projects are,

- to provide employees with the know-how they will need in their work from now on,
- support them in applying this know-how in their daily work and
- to advise their superiors, such as foremen or team leaders, on employee qualification and, in some cases, management issues.

These consultants are usually qualified for their new tasks in a compact trainer training or in train-the-trainer seminars, in which the topic of how people react to changes and new requirements is also discussed.

2. change consultants and supporters on the project management and middle management level
These in-house consultants are mostly employees with an academic background who have already gained project and management experience. In addition to a high degree of sensitivity for dealing with people, they also demonstrated a sense of where resistance might arise in projects. In addition, they showed a particular talent for identifying and/or solving (potential) problems at an early stage. Therefore, their employer decided to use them from then on as change consultants and supporters for the managers at the departmental and divisional level and for the project managers specifically at the shop floor level in projects that also change the corporate culture.

Organizationally, these consultants are usually located in the HR or training department. Typical projects in which they are involved are the introduction of a new management system in the organization or projects aimed at changing (cross-divisional and cross-functional) cooperation in such a way that the agility of the company increases. Core tasks of these consultants are,

- to support the department or division managers and project managers as an impulse and advisor in the implementation of the targets,
- act as facilitators at workshops and meetings at the divisional and departmental level, and
- to intervene in a moderating capacity in the event of conflicts.

These consultants are usually qualified for their tasks by means of an organizational consultant or business coach training, in which, among other things, the topic "How do social systems work? This includes the topic "How do social systems work?", as well as the topic of change management - both on an organisational and personal level.

3. strategy (implementation) consultants at top management level
These consultants are usually graduates of a top university and have also often completed an MBA training or a general management program at an internationally renowned business school. In addition, before becoming an in-house consultant, they often worked for several years as a strategy consultant in a larger, internationally active management consultancy. Their professional know-how is correspondingly excellent. They also have sound project management experience. And when it comes to change management, they usually have not only very solid theoretical know-how, but also practical experience.

Their core responsibilities in the large companies where they mostly work are usually,

- support top management in the further development of the company's strategy and business model,
- design the necessary concepts for the implementation of strategic decisions in the (entire) organisation,
- support top management and senior executives in implementing the strategy in their areas, and
- to control the overall project.

In this context, the assumption of these tasks is often seen by the company management and by the consultants themselves as an intermediate step for the assumption of a top management function.

Typical projects in which these consultants are involved are, for example, the merger of two companies. Or the digital transformation of companies and the development and implementation of new business models. Or the introduction of a new, company-wide management system.

According to their tasks and their previous experience, the qualification of these consultants usually focuses on providing them with the know-how to plan, manage and evaluate complex, strategic projects in companies; furthermore, to give them the tools to control change processes in such a way that the company achieves its (development) goals. Examples include management tools such as the Balanced Scorecard and Objectives and Key-Results (OKR), as well as management systems such as CIP, Lean Management and Hoshin Kanri.

When imparting this management know-how, the topic of change management also plays an important role - but primarily in terms of the interactions that take place during the development of a company.

- in the organisation itself (for example, in terms of the objectives pursued), and
- in the company's relationship with its environment (for example, with regard to markets) must be taken into account.

There is a growing demand in companies for all three groups of in-house consultants mentioned above. However, when selecting and qualifying them, it is important to distinguish precisely to which of the aforementioned groups of consultants the candidates belong. Otherwise, their qualifications will miss the mark and their actions will not have the desired effect.