26 Jan A GUIDE TO MANAGEMENT CONSULTING: WHAT DO CORPORATE STRATEGY CONSULTANTS DO?
Corporate strategy consultants are advisors that help companies analyze complex business challenges and opportunities to improve performance and competitive advantage. Leveraging structured problem-solving techniques and an objective outside-in perspective, corporate strategy consultants guide major strategic transformations across all business functions.
Right out of the gate, what competent consultants do is deeply diagnose the current state of the organization and its full context. That means examining internal practices, gathering competitor intelligence, mapping industry dynamics and trends, and identifying client strengths, weaknesses and blind spots. Consultants conduct interviews across the company, synthesize volumes of data and employ various analytical frameworks to get to the heart of issues and uncover root causes behind symptoms.
And then corporate strategy consultants formulate potential pathways forward. Drawing on best practices they’ve seen across multiple industries and firms, they devise creative solutions to address issues and provide methodologies for aligning strategy execution across the enterprise. Recommendations aim to not only incrementally improve but also to reinvent the business where needed to leapfrog the competition.
Beyond advice, the best corporate strategy consultants also roll up their sleeves to partner in implementing recommendations. They work closely with clients to detail no-regrets moves to make in the next 100 days while also painting a multi-year roadmap. Guiding proper sequencing, resourcing and coordination of complex change initiatives prevents going in the wrong order or overwhelming the organization.
On top of it consultants build capabilities to sustain transformation. Experts coach executives on how to make decisions strategically, provide tools to diagnose business challenges independently in the future, and train teams on deploying new frameworks. Embedding these learned skills cultivates lasting competitive strength not reliant on outside experts.
In today’s fast-changing business world, even visionary leaders need fresh perspectives and structured approaches to keep pace. Corporate strategy consultants fill this need with an intimate understanding of strategic management along with cross-industry acumen into what works when executed well. Thought leaders turn insight into action.