Navigating Uncertainty: Why Fractional Consultants Shine in Times of Change

Transformation is more complex than flipping a switch. It requires a comprehensive approach encompassing business model development, stakeholder agreement, process and system changes, and, most importantly, behavior change. It can cause uncertainty and misalignment within teams and stakeholders. 

This is where the power of fractional consulting comes into play. Consultants act as change agents, guiding companies through transitions without the long-term commitment.

Let’s unpack why fractional consultants shine in times of change, whether you’re looking to accelerate growth, fill capability gaps, or drive business transformation.

The Efficiency and Impact of Fractional Consultants

When it comes to driving growth and facilitating change, fractional consultants are a force to be reckoned with. They can propel strategies and initiatives forward faster and more efficiently. Let’s break down how they do this:

Streamline ambiguous or challenging tasks into a clear, actionable plan

The ability to structure work effectively allows fractional consultants to move the initiative forward at a pace the business wouldn’t achieve alone. Moreover, they excel at aligning people, coaching, and guiding clients to secure the necessary internal approvals and maintain the project pace.

Fill capability gaps

When embarking on something new, businesses often find they need more capabilities or capacity to move the project forward effectively. You might have the skills to support your current business model, but not for the two-fold challenge of developing and executing a new one. 

This is where a fractional consultant is your greatest asset. They bring the exact capabilities you need right when you need them without needing a long-term commitment.

Begin work in a matter of days

With fractional consultants, you can hit the ground running. They can begin work in days rather than months, accelerating the time to agree on solutions. This agility is a stark contrast to the lengthy process of hiring a full-time employee or even assembling a team from a large consulting firm.

Accelerate time to value

Fractional consultants offer a high return on investment. They provide the precise skills you need, where you need them, and only for as long as you need them. This surgical placement of capabilities drives a higher ROI compared to traditional consulting, where a team of three to five people might be brought in. 

In essence, fractional consultants are a highly efficient growth investment. They bring a unique blend of skills and experience to the table from both consulting and their own time in the industry, enabling your business to navigate change and drive growth more effectively.

The Fresh Perspectives and Skills to Make Change Happen

Change is often met with resistance, especially in established organizations where the status quo is deeply ingrained. But to innovate and grow, businesses must be willing to think differently, to challenge the norm, and to embrace new ideas. 

This is where fractional consultants come into their own with a unique skill set.

Not bound by the company’s culture or history, fractional consultants bring a fresh perspective to your business and encourage new ways of thinking. They can stimulate creativity and innovation, encouraging internal teams to think outside the box and explore new possibilities that only an outside perspective can bring. 

But transformational work is about more than coming up with new ideas. 

It’s about turning those ideas into actionable progress, which requires a structured approach to project management, something that fractional consultants excel at. They have the skills and experience to manage complex transformational projects, ensuring they progress efficiently and effectively.

Of course, any significant business transformation also requires approval from various stakeholders. A fractional consultant has navigated this process time and time again. They’ve built compelling business cases, facilitated discussions, and secured the necessary approvals to move projects forward.

This combination of new perspectives and a time-tested approach enhances your team’s innovation ability, provides the structure needed for transformational projects, and navigates the complex approval process. By doing so, consultants can accelerate change and drive growth in your business.

For more on the skills fractional consultants bring, read our blog on how fractional consulting fits into your business.

Operational Change: The Crux of a Successful Transformation

Integrating change into the very fabric of your business is the final hurdle in a transformational project. It’s about altering fundamental business processes, systems, and behaviors. This is where our fractional consultants truly shine.

They bring more than just top-tier consulting skills to the table. They also bring extensive industry experience. They’ve been in the trenches, working in industry teams and navigating corporate matrices. They understand the practicalities of implementing change in a business environment to support three core challenges:

Navigating resource constraints

Centralized operational functions are often the most resource-constrained, especially during budget cuts. Our consultants have the unique mix of stakeholder management skills, business acumen, and creativity needed to navigate these constraints. They can build compelling business cases and find creative solutions to move your project forward.

Building workaround processes

If centralized support is not possible, our consultants can build and run workaround processes. Hiring the right consultant with the right combination of skills allows you the flexibility and adaptability to find solutions even in the most challenging circumstances.

Supporting behavior change

Change is not just about processes and systems. It’s also about people. Our consultants support behavior change in your organization, whether through hands-on support, coaching, or governance. They guide and coach the teams they work with or implement a structured governance process to ensure adherence to new ways of doing things.

The beauty of the fractional model is its flexibility – especially for short-term projects. 

Fractional consultants combine a unique blend of problem-solving acumen, people management expertise, and creative capabilities. Bringing in the right consultant at the right time can be an interesting, creative, and cost-effective solution for businesses to enact change and drive growth. 

So, if you’re looking to balance the need for growth with budget and internal capacity constraints, consider bringing a fractional consultant on board. Their expertise and support could be the catalyst for the transformation that your business needs. Take a look at what we do to find out more about how we match you with the right fractional consultant at Keenan Reid.