Internal Consulting Impact: Boosting Effectiveness in Specialty Chemicals Industry

Role: Head of Internal Consulting

Industry: Specialty Chemicals Company

Situation:

As the Head of Internal Consulting for a specialty chemicals company, I'm responsible for leading internal projects to improve efficiency, innovation, and market responsiveness. Internally, our project outcomes are inconsistent, and business units are often reluctant to collaborate or embrace recommendations. Externally, the specialty chemicals market is rapidly changing, with new competitors and evolving customer needs. Our internal consulting practices are not delivering the needed impact or driving the necessary change.

Question to Marcus:

“

What methodologies and structures can we implement to enhance the effectiveness and impact of our internal consulting function in driving meaningful change and innovation?

Change Management

For your specialty chemicals company, effective Change Management is essential to overcome internal resistance and achieve strategic objectives. Begin by creating a clear vision of the desired change, which addresses the rapidly evolving market and competitive landscape.

Communicate this vision consistently across all levels of your organization to build understanding and buy-in. Utilize change agents within business units to champion and facilitate change efforts, and address the emotional and practical concerns of stakeholders. Tailor change management approaches to fit the unique dynamics of each business unit, and celebrate small wins to build momentum for larger organizational shifts.

Stakeholder Management

Stakeholder Management is critical to ensure that internal projects are supported and effectively implemented. Identify and analyze the interests of all key stakeholders, particularly those who are resistant to collaboration.

By understanding their motivations and concerns, you can develop targeted strategies to engage them effectively. Build strong relationships through regular communication and involve stakeholders in the decision-making process to foster a sense of ownership over project outcomes. This approach can lead to more enthusiastic adoption of internal consulting recommendations and a more collaborative corporate culture.

Innovation Management

Integrating Innovation Management practices can rejuvenate your internal consulting function and keep pace with market changes. Encourage a culture of experimentation and risk-taking by implementing a structured innovation process that allows for rapid prototyping and learning from failures.

Collaborate with external partners, such as research institutions or start-ups, to infuse fresh perspectives and access cutting-edge technologies. By prioritizing innovation, your consulting function can drive the development of unique products and services tailored to evolving customer needs.

Business Transformation

Business Transformation is necessary to revitalize your consulting practices and align them with the company's strategic goals. Take a holistic view of the organization's processes, systems, and structures, identifying areas that require fundamental changes to enhance efficiency and market responsiveness.

Implement cross-functional teams to work on transformation initiatives, breaking down silos and promoting a unified approach to problem-solving. By fostering a transformative mindset, your consulting function can lead the charge in making the company more agile and competitive.

Process Improvement

Process Improvement is pivotal in addressing inconsistent project outcomes. Employ methodologies such as Lean and Six Sigma to streamline workflows, eliminate waste, and optimize resource usage.

Invest in training for your consultants to build their capabilities in process analysis and redesign. By establishing continuous process improvement mechanisms, you can ensure that consulting projects consistently add value by making operations more efficient and effective.

Strategic Planning

Strategic Planning will guide your internal consulting function towards contributing meaningfully to the company's long-term success. Develop a strategic plan that clearly defines the consulting function's objectives, aligned with the broader corporate strategy.

Use scenario planning to anticipate future market shifts and create flexible strategies that allow for quick adaptation. This foresight and strategic alignment will help your consulting function act as a catalyst for growth and innovation.

Agile

Adopting an Agile methodology can enhance your internal consulting team's responsiveness and effectiveness. Agile's iterative approach allows for rapid adjustments to projects based on feedback and changing conditions.

Train your team in Agile principles and practices to foster a collaborative, adaptive, and transparent working style. This will enable your consulting function to deliver impactful solutions faster and with greater relevance to current market demands.

Lean Management/Enterprise

Lean Management principles can be leveraged to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of internal consulting projects. Focus on value creation for the end customer and empower your consulting teams to identify and eliminate non-value-adding activities.

This will not only improve project outcomes but also encourage a culture of continuous improvement where consultants proactively seek ways to enhance their impact on the company's performance.

Digital Transformation

Digital Transformation within your consulting function can help harness data-driven insights and automate routine tasks. Invest in advanced analytics tools to gain a deeper understanding of market trends and customer preferences.

Utilize collaborative software to improve project management and foster seamless communication between business units. By digitizing your consulting practices, you can deliver more informed recommendations and drive more significant change.

Supply Chain Resilience

Developing Supply Chain Resilience is crucial for your specialty chemicals company to adapt to disruptions and maintain competitive advantage. Your internal consulting function should work on building a robust supply chain strategy that includes risk assessments, diversification of suppliers, and investment in technology for better visibility and responsiveness.

This will ensure that the company can continue to operate smoothly in the face of external pressures, such as raw material shortages or geopolitical events.