Why Companies Are Replacing In-House Roles With Curious Consultants

Forbes

30-05-2025

Hiring a full-time employee used to be the go-to solution when companies needed help with strategy, systems, or data. That thinking is changing. As businesses face growing complexity in their tech stacks, more leaders are turning to outside consultants who offer broader experience and faster results. According to The Business Research Company, the system integration services market is projected to grow from $494.7 billion in 2024 to $532.48 billion in 2025. One of the main drivers is the increasing demand for consultants who can connect disconnected systems and help businesses make the most of their tools. Companies are realizing they need strategic partners who understand how to bring everything together. Consultants who lead with curiosity stand out in this environment. They bring a fresh perspective, challenge assumptions, and identify hidden inefficiencies. They ask better questions and solve problems that internal teams may not even know exist.
Internal employees bring deep company knowledge, but that knowledge can become narrow over time. When someone is immersed in one company's way of working, it becomes difficult to spot inefficiencies. Familiarity creates blind spots. People stop asking why things are done a certain way and start accepting outdated processes as normal.
Consultants who work across industries avoid this trap. They compare what works in one space with what fails in another. They bring fresh context to old problems. And because they are not part of the internal structure, they can ask questions others avoid.
When I spoke with Chris Andres, Co-Founder of GTX Solutions, he emphasized something many companies overlook: solving technical problems often starts with understanding human ones. As the former Global VP of Customer Success at Tealium, and now through his leadership at GTX, he has worked with clients across retail, automotive, gaming, travel/hospitality, health care, financial services, and media. These roles have given him a clear view into what executive leaders face when trying to align systems, data, and strategy at scale.
As he explained, 'Most companies do not suffer from a lack of data or software. What they lack is a coherent way to make decisions across systems. When no one owns the connections, inefficiencies multiply. My goal is not to implement more platforms. It is to help teams finally hear what the data has been trying to say. At GTX, we don't just uncover the problem. We work directly with client teams to resolve it, embedding alongside their staff or taking full ownership of the execution. That blend of strategy and hands-on delivery is what moves the needle.'
That ability to connect dots across platforms, departments, and industries makes consultants like Andres an essential resource for companies that need more than just technical execution. They need someone who can step back, see the whole picture, and make it work.
How Curious Consultants Uncover What Teams Miss
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Most employees are managing tight deadlines, meetings, and shifting priorities. Even when they notice a problem, they may not have the bandwidth or authority to take action. Over time, workarounds become permanent. Inefficiencies are accepted as part of the job.
Consultants are not bound by those constraints. They are brought in specifically to identify what is not working and recommend a path forward. Their value comes from objectivity and perspective. Because they have worked with different types of companies and systems, they can spot problems faster and offer more creative solutions.
What solves a data flow issue for a retailer might work for a healthcare provider. What streamlines onboarding in a gaming company might improve the experience for a financial services firm. These connections are difficult to make from within, but consultants are trained to see across boundaries.
Many organizations are not suffering from a lack of tools. They are suffering from too many tools that do not communicate. In earlier research I contributed to for Forbes, we saw how disconnected systems caused inefficiency, confusion, and duplication across departments. These same issues show up today across industries and functions.
Consultants often serve as the translators between platforms, teams, and priorities. They help companies get more value from the systems they already have by improving how those systems connect. Instead of recommending entirely new software, the focus is on integration, clarity, and usability.
Why Curiosity Sets Great Consultants Apart
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The best consultants do not assume they know the answer before asking the right questions. They take time to understand the organization, investigate root causes, and learn how each team works. This level of curiosity often reveals opportunities that internal teams miss.
Curiosity is a mindset and a business asset. It enables consultants to explore, adapt, and test ideas that improve performance across departments. It also helps them stay relevant in a fast-changing environment, where the best solution often comes from a combination of experience and exploration.
Why Curious Consultants Are A Smart Investment
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Hiring a consultant may appear to be a temporary fix, but the long-term benefits often outweigh the cost. These professionals bring energy, speed, and clarity to situations that have stalled. They identify gaps, focus priorities, and bring momentum to projects that need a push.
They also bring strategic value. Because they have worked across industries, consultants know what is essential and what can be streamlined. They help companies avoid common pitfalls, reduce redundancy, and improve collaboration between teams and tools.
Organizations that bring in the right consultants are not outsourcing leadership. They are enhancing it. They are choosing to move faster and smarter by leveraging insights that internal teams alone may not have access to.
What Curious Consultants Mean For HR Strategy
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The growing reliance on outside consultants is changing how HR teams plan, hire, and measure success. Instead of defaulting to full-time hires, HR leaders are being asked to evaluate when external expertise makes more sense. This shift impacts everything from workforce planning to onboarding. HR must now support hybrid teams where consultants contribute alongside employees, often driving key outcomes without being on the payroll. It also requires a different lens on performance. The focus is moving toward results, not just roles. For HR, this is a chance to lead with strategy, matching the right talent to the right need, even when that talent comes from outside the organization.