When Selecting a Consultant/Outsourcer: What Does Your Team Think?

Bottom Line On Top: Understanding your team's feelings, goals, and past experiences is not just a preliminary step but a critical component of successfully hiring a consultant/outsourcer.

You've decided to search for a new consultant or outsourcer - ready to kick off the process.  You've decided to include your team in the process; met with them, procurement and possibly and outside sourcing advisor to determine the selection criteria for your search.  This helped with prequalifying potential partners to be invited as well.

What could possibly be missing?

Establishing your selection criteria is critical - getting a sense of the thoughts/feelings key team members bring with them to this process is equally as critical.

Over the years, we've experienced a bit of the following firsthand.  A couple of general examples include;

• Late in an RFP process (finalist meetings, to be clear), one team member states; "I can't see working with them again.  I did it before and they .................."

• After the decision and implementation began, one team member seemed to have an issue with many steps in the process.  Something wasn't 'quite right' and issues escalated quickly and frequently.  It became a distraction to both teams.

Before searching for a new consultant, it's crucial to understand the feelings, goals, and past experiences of your team. These factors can significantly influence their advice and the overall decision-making process.  Including their perspectives can result in outcomes better than you would have expected.  Failing to consider their insight can lead to issues late in the selection process - after the new consultant/outsourcer starts - or in unexpected disappointments on all sides.

BTW - getting this insight is easy and quick — and Essential.

You Can't Be Serious - Do We REALLY Need To Do This?

1. Misalignment of Goals

One of the primary issues that can arise from not understanding your team's perspectives is misalignment. Each team member may have different expectations and objectives based on their experiences and roles - both with you and at prior employers. Without a clear understanding of individual goals, you've failed to get a common understanding of what you are trying to improve or 'fix' in selecting a new partner.

2. Influence of Past Experiences

Past experiences can heavily color team members' opinions and advice regarding hiring a consultant. If previous consultant/outsourcer experiences were unsuccessful or did not meet expectations, individual team members might be skeptical or resistant to invite that firm again (or consider them seriously through the process).  If that's the case, you have to get that intel out on the table and deal with it as you prequalify firms to invite.

3. Biases and Groupthink

"Everyone seemed to agree" - Teams are susceptible to cognitive biases such as groupthink or the common-knowledge effect, where discussions focus on shared rather than unique information. You can easily overlook individual insights or potential solutions that a diverse range of perspectives could provide.

A Brief List of Potential Consequences

Absent the input of team feelings, goals, and past experiences can have several consequences:

• Ineffective Consultant Selection

• Project Delays

• Frustration and Potential Conflict

A Process for Gathering Relevant Insights

To avoid these pitfalls, it's essential to implement a structured process for gathering insights from your team before proceeding with an RFP (Request for Proposal). Here’s how you can do it:

Step 1: We Use A Quick, 6-7 Question Survey

A quick electronic survey allows team members to share their opinions anonymously, encouraging honest feedback. We focus on past experiences with consultants, current challenges, desired outcomes (both what they want that they are not currently getting and current experiences they want to eliminate going forward).

Step 2:  Then We Facilitate A Discussion - Coming To Common Ground

A facilitated discussion comes next.  We conduct it where team members can openly discuss their views to ensure neutrality and encourage participation from all members. During these sessions, we aim to identify common themes, areas of concern, and potential opportunities for improvement.

Step 3: It Has To Be Actionable

We analyze the feedback to identify key insights that will inform your RFP process.  We look for patterns or recurring themes that highlight specific needs or preferences that should be addressed when selecting a consultant.

The insights develop clear criteria for evaluating potential consultants. The criteria should reflect both organizational goals and the specific needs identified by your team. This alignment will help you invite only firms that are likely to be seriously considered.

Two Simple, Quick Steps: Gathering these insights with a quick survey and facilitated discussion, you can ensure that the time you spend to select consultants  align with both strategic objectives and team dynamics.

Understanding your team's feelings, goals, and past experiences is not just a preliminary step but a critical component of successfully hiring a consultant.