Project Check-In 1

Transcript

1. Strategy & Research Capability Building Project Check-In Paul Millerd – November 22, 2017
2. Timeline Interviews & Define Research Role & Responsibilities Refine & Finalize Roles & Responsibilities and Priorities Coaching, Training & Support November 6th – 19th November 20th – December 8th December 9th – 31st ✓ Kick-off call with CLIENT ✓ Align on overall timeline and deliverables ✓ Finalize list of interviewees ✓ Create draft interview guide and get feedback from CLIENT, Madison & Allison ✓ Conduct interviews (video, if possible) ✓ Develop initial draft of findings ➢ Develop an initial draft of the roles & responsibilities of the research function, including short and long-term priorities. • Iterate with research team, CLIENT and other relevant stakeholders • Work with CLIENT and research managers to take actions on recommendations to re-shaping research function • Identify 1-2 hands-on projects to work collaboratively (e.g. improving presentation materials) • With a clear definition of the roles and expectations, work with the current research team to prioritize goals and opportunities and translate to their day to day roles. • Conduct one-on-one or team trainings around fundamental consulting skills, presentation development and overall time management/managing up skills.
3. Completed Interviews Interviewees (Phase 1): Completed ✓ CLIENT ✓ CLIENT ✓ CLIENT ✓ CLIENT ✓ CLIENT ✓ CLIENT ✓ CLIENT ✓ CLIENT Questions 1. What is your current role and background with CLIENT? 2. How would you define the strategy of CLIENT International? 3. What makes CLIENT International a special place? 4. How do you interact with the research function (non-research)? 5. What is the perception of the research function within the firm? 6. What does the research team excel at? 7. Where should research spend more time to support the firm? 8. What areas of research are the least value added? 9. What should non-researchers do to help the research function grow and improve?
4. EARLY FINDINGS: Clear “Story” That People Are Aligned Around 1. Speed and Focus: Consultants spend more time on less searches and deliver high quality candidates faster than competitors 2. Human touch: focused on “finding humans” rather than searching LinkedIn. “We ask about kids and their lives” 3. Competitive & Collaborative Culture: Most people are very aligned around a “competitive, but collaborative” culture that pushes people to grow and do great work “getting the best people as quickly as possible” “make sure every candidate will hire us in the future” “People are very competitive but never in a way that brings the team down”
5. Research Function Goals & Operations Counter to Rest of Firm Research Function Consultants / Rest of Firm • High volume • Low volume • Many stakeholders • Very focused on minimal clients • Responsiveness first • Quality first • Limited training / early tenure • Trained in research / other firms • No clear priorities or direction • Clear focus on one goal – find right person
6. Key Research Challenges Highlighted • Many different views on what research “should” be doing mean researchers default to most urgent or reactive requests • Research has been in flux over last 2-3 years (a stepping stone rather than a core function of the business) and has not built a strong operating rhythm • Current researchers are early-tenure and trying to balance learning with execution This slide is to “test” our some of my initial findings. What am I missing?
7. Next Steps 1. Develop expectations of research • What skills should a researcher have? • Definition of what the high-performance looks like for research over time • Identify training opportunities for new hires 2. Identify strategic opportunities • What are the 1-2 key projects for research that align with where CLIENT is going in 2018? 3. Build Presentation Materials • Incorporate learnings from this project into business development materials 4. Research Technology Options • Connected with WNS to understand capabilities and 5. Capture Insights From Other Firms • Had conversation with RRA researcher • Spencer Stuart researcher conversation w.o 11.27