Consultancy role is not getting bigger

I disagree with Stephen Overell’s assertion in his Off Message article that power is shifting to “the advisers of the makers and doers” (Personnel Today, 14 December, 2004). Power has already shifted to the consultant, and in my view, it has gone as far it is going to.

This significant increase in advisers is not a healthy position. Alistair Campbell’s role must be, in demonstrating the point, the best example. The nation voted for New Labour, not Alistair Campbell. Yet he had a major influence on how our country was run. And of course, who is to say that he knows best. He clearly does not.

In parallel, managers are promoted to run businesses, usually based on the contribution they make or the talents they have. It is not healthy for that person to then overly rely on external ‘knowledge and expertise’.
The power has shifted too far to the consultant, to the extent that it is they who are making decisions. This is a tangible demonstration of a lack of confidence in and by managers, and, if UK businesses are to thrive, this trend cannot continue.

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The reason power is shifting away from the consultant is that most organisations are seeking to empower their staff and managers. This can only be achieved if they are supported to make their own decisions.

Grant Strelling
Managing director, Youmanage