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For those of us tied to the academic calendar September rings in the New Year, and for some even a New Year's resolution or two. So it is ironic that this year I find myself reversing a resolution of long ago. This edition of In the Know describes my renewed appreciation of certain management consulting practices and how their tactical use can bolster fiscal and organizational goals.
Sincerely,
Tracy
Filosa
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Confession of Reformed Management Consultant |
First a confession: In the mid-1990s I was a management consultant. I clutched dog eared organizational bibles written by Senge, Drucker, Hammer and Champy. I spent my days immersed in interviews, process flows, Venn diagrams and org charts. And I did all this on college campuses; it was a great job. But alas, I became frustrated by detailed re-engineered processes that were never implemented, organizations that only changed via attrition and unrealized dreams of technology efficiencies. I swore off flow charts! I vowed to implement, not just recommend. I went to work on administrative system implementations. I eventually started a consultancy devoted to doing the work of higher ed administration and finance, not just evaluating the work of others. I emphasized my financial expertise and writing skills. I hardly mentioned my tenure as a management consultant.
Flash forward to 2008. TAF Consulting has been successfully documenting,
training, analyzing and planning with colleges and universities for over nine
years. I have been focused on delivering results: policies, training programs,
planning models and reports. But recently I find myself drawing on management
consulting tools. Here are some examples and advantages I have found:
Process flows communicate the work being done and provide a level understanding across the organization. Business continuity planning is first informed by the uninterrupted business process. Planners cannot design a strategy for continuing the process when facilities, equipment and staff are compromised without first mapping out the details of the uninterrupted business process.
Immediate benefits of documenting current business processes:
Develops a common understanding of how a task is accomplished, including the people and effort involved.
Enables planners to identify and prioritize the resources required to ensure continuity of essential processes.
Interviews invite multiple perspectives on an organization, individual contributors, outcomes and opportunities. While colleges and universities are particularly fortunate to have expert faculty and researchers who can contribute to an assessment and solutions, I am amazed by the insights provided at all levels of the organization. The cafeteria worker, security guard and receptionist provide perspectives and understanding of the workings of campus life that can be equally beneficial to developing the best policies, processes and programs.
Immediate benefits of conducting interviews with people connected to an organization and its work:
Lends credibility as stakeholders are provided vehicle for project input.
Enables neutral sounding board for various perspectives.
Provides leaders insight into work and dynamics of organization.
Job descriptions are constantly shifting in the dynamic operating environment of higher ed, but they are not necessarily re-written. The infusion and advances of technology are constantly bringing new tools, communication vehicles and tasks to the campus office. Receptionists and administrative assistants who once focused on answering phones and in-person customer service are now immersed in writing emails, updating websites and processing transactions in accounting systems. Managers who spent the majority of their time supervising operations and printed deliverables are moving toward an outward focus on web strategies, multi- media publications and electronic networking.
This shifting dynamic requires more frequent alignment of staff skills and responsibilities, to ensure that employees are properly trained and positioned, task assignments make sense, and effort is aligned with organizational goals.
Immediate benefits of reviewing role descriptions:
Develops current snapshot of effort and demands, strengths and gaps.
Informs employee performance reviews.
Provides opportunity to assess impact of new technology, and relevance and efficiency of tasks.
Enables alignment of employee skills, interests, compensation and current responsibilities.
With age comes wisdom, so I am reformed. I no longer exclude my experience as a management consultant and appreciate the dimension it brings to my current body of work. I have learned that some shortcomings of redesigned processes and organizations I witnessed in the 1990s were not necessarily the failings of management consulting practices, but rather the results of unrealistic scope and an unbalanced use of the approach. Today I recommend certain tools of the trade when their focused application can help colleges and universities develop effective policies, organizations, professionals and plans. They can be very useful as we DO the work of higher ed finance and administration.
TAF CONSULTING is a responsive consultancy that helps colleges and universities develop effective organizations, plans, documentation and training programs. TAF brings nearly 20 years of experience in higher ed administration and a passion for the details and deliverables that enable institutions to realize their goals.
Contact TAF or visit our website to learn more about our work and to read previous editions of In the Know.
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