No More Consultants : We Know More Than We Think

by Parcell, Geoff; Collison, Chris

• ISBN13: 9780470746035
• ISBN10: 0470746033
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-10-26
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

We have all smiled at the apocryphal tale of the consultant who borrows your watch to tell you the time, and then walks off with your watch! Deep down, we all know that there is an element of truth in the story.If we only recognised and released the capabilities which we had on the inside, our organisations could be so much more efficient, effective and purposeful with the money they spend on consultants.No More Consultants provides readers with everything they needed to tap into those capabilities. Using the tools and techniques in this book, readers will be able to drill deep inside their organizations to realise the value of their existing knowledge. Employees will feel valued and listened-to, and investment on consultants can be reduced or redirected to the places where there is a genuine need to build new capability. The book is rich with real-life examples of application. At its core is the self-assessment process which has been applied to a variety of issues, including: supply chain management, business improvement, learning and development, operational excellence, knowledge management, and the worldwide response to AIDS. By applying the innovative 'River Diagram' to the results of the self assessment, you can clearly map-out where the strengths and weaknesses in your organisations lie, and where there is scope for sharing. This map will help you plot the course of your improvement strategy. No More Consultants contains several practical techniques designed to close the gap between the lowest and highest performers, saving your business time and money. Illustrated using an exciting collection of stories and examples: including BP, Oracle, United Nations, the NHS and Nationwide Building Society.

Author Biography

Geoff Parcell is a successful business coach. He has worked with organizations in the private and public sectors to identify and build their capabilities, stressing team working and learning. He was a founder member of BP’s knowledge management team, and has also worked with the UN on sharing good practice in the response to HIV/AIDS.

With Chris Collison, he was previously author of the acclaimed Learning to Fly (Wiley 2004).

Find out more at www.practicalKM.com.

Chris Collison is a leading business adviser, author and speaker. After 15 years working in innovation and change with BP and Centrica, Chris now helps a range of organizations to improve and innovate – from software engineers in Bangalore, to venture capitalists in Rome, biotechnologists in North Carolina and NHS hospitals in the UK.

He is an associate and visiting lecturer at Henley Management College and Cranfield School of Management, and is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD.

See www.chriscollison.com for more information.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Preface

Why

No More Consultants?

Five Key Questions

How to Read No More Consultants

Chapter by Chapter

Discovering the River

Forming the River

Beating Consultants at Their Own Game

Spotting the Potential for Learning and Sharing

Examining the Distribution of Performance

Watching the River Over Time

Building the Framework

Deciding Who to Involve

Identifying and Selecting the Practices

Deciding the Variables

Defining the Levels

Developing our 'Effective Meetings' Example

Story 1 - Using Self-assessment to Unite a Consortium of Companies

Story 2 - Helping UK Government Departments to Develop and Learn

The Benefits of Global Rather than Local Frameworks

Defining the Strategy

Applying the Approach

It's All About the Conversations

Involving the Procrastinators

The Environment

Story 3 - Responding to AIDS in Brazil

Sharing Experience Within a Framework

It is Subjective, and De-personalises the Emotion

It Challenges Our Assumptions

The Focus for Improvement

Finding Ways to Close the Gap in Performance

Story 4 - Developing Professional Communities in Oracle

Story 5 - Assessing Knowledge Management in UK Regional Government Offices

Story 6 - Linking the Supply Chain

Launching and Going to Scale

The Role of the Facilitator

What Are the Attributes of a Good Facilitator?

What Does a Facilitator Do?

What is the Outcome of a Well Facilitated Meeting?

Creating the River

Constructing the River Diagram on Paper

Innovative and Practical Ways to Visualise a River Diagram

Creating the Stairs Diagram

Story 7 - Developing a Knowledge Culture in the National Health Service

Learning from Experience

Offers and Requests

Learning from Experience Through a Peer Assist

Story 8 - Organic Rice Farming in Thailand

Story 9 - Peers in Unexpected Places - When Great Ormond Street Hospital Met Ferrari!

Barriers to Sharing

Tall Poppy Syndrome

Shrinking Violet Syndrome

Not Invented Here Syndrome

Real Men Don't Ask for Directions

Improving and Sustaining

Measuring Progress

Leading and Lagging Indicators

Modifying the Framework

Local Customisation

External Benchmarking - Towards Level Six

Story 10 - The Sustainable Development of Cities

So What Do We Do Now?

Appendices

Self-Assessment Framework for Effective Meetings

Learning and Development Self-Assessment Framework

Creating a River Diagram with Excel

Knowledge & Organisation Development in the NHS

Further Reading

Index

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