Latest news with #consultants
Forbes
a day ago
- Business
- Forbes
Why Companies Are Replacing In-House Roles With Curious Consultants
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 People stop asking why things are done a certain way and start accepting outdated processes as normal.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 getty 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 getty 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 getty 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 getty 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.
Fox News
2 days ago
- General
- Fox News
I'm from Gen Z. I know why Democrats are losing young men: 'We're not a mystery, we're a movement'
There's something almost poetic about the Democratic Party's desperation. Faced with a mass exodus of young men from their ranks, the left's solution isn't to rethink their disastrous policies or the cultural rot they've championed. Nope, they've decided to shell out tens of millions of dollars to study us. Not talk to us. Not listen. Not ask honest questions. Just study us - like we're alien creatures under a microscope. That's not strategy — it's stupidity. And worse, it shows how wildly out of touch Democrats have become with reality, especially the reality young men live every day. You couldn't make this up if you tried. Let's get one thing straight: no amount of polling, focus groups or think-tank memos is going to win back the respect of my generation. Because Gen Z guys aren't confused about why we're walking away — we're walking away because the modern Democratic Party has spent years demonizing us, mocking masculinity and replacing real leadership with TikTok cringe and rainbow flag activism. We've been told we're toxic if we believe in traditional values. We're called privileged if we work hard and succeed. We're branded threats if we dare to question liberal narratives on gender, race or the role of government. And now, when that propaganda isn't working anymore, they're throwing cash at consultants to figure out why? It's laughable. And it's offensive. DEM STRATEGY SESSION TO STOP HEMORRHAGING OF MALE VOTERS RIDICULED If Democrats truly wanted to connect with young men, they'd have to do something radical — something they've proven time and time again they're unwilling to do: tell the truth. The truth about crime. The truth about border security. The truth about the value of hard work, responsibility, and yes, masculinity. But they won't. Because to embrace those values would be to admit their entire cultural agenda for the last decade has been a failure. So instead, they'll burn through tens of millions of dollars trying to "understand" us — money that will go straight into the pockets of overpaid consultants, liberal marketers and out-of-touch campaign staff who think a few new slogans and a TikTok dance will change the tide. It won't. If anything, it'll backfire. Young men aren't hard to figure out. We want freedom. We want opportunity. We want leaders who won't apologize for loving America. We want a government that works for us — not against us. We're tired of being ignored. We're tired of being blamed. And we're *definitely* tired of being studied like we're some great political mystery. We're not a mystery. We're a movement. DEMOCRATIC PARTY SCRAMBLES TO FIX IMAGE AS MEMBERS ACKNOWLEDGE PARTY 'LOST CREDIBILITY' The fact that the Left is admitting they have to invest tens of millions of dollars just to understand us proves how disconnected they are from the very people they claim to care about. And it's not just embarrassing, it's revealing. It shows that even now, they still think politics is something you can buy. But here's the truth they refuse to learn: no amount of money will make my generation go back to a party that's lied to us, mocked us, and tried to erase everything we believe in. The Democrats want to know why they're losing Gen Z men? It's simple: because we've seen what they offer and we're not buying it. Let them keep setting their money on fire. The rest of us are building something real.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
McKinsey sheds 10% of staff in 2-year profitability drive
McKinsey has cut more than 10 per cent of its staff in the past 18 months, reversing a big expansion plan that peaked during the coronavirus pandemic when consulting services were in high demand and the firm increased its workforce by almost two-thirds. The consulting firm has about 40,000 employees, according to people familiar with the matter, compared with more than 45,000 at the end of 2023, when it most recently published a figure. The job cuts, which are among the largest in McKinsey's nearly 100-year history, reflect the sharp slowdown in revenue growth across the consulting market. The group has also been hit with $1.6 billion in legal settlements from its work for US opioid manufacturers. As well as laying off 1,400 back-office staff in a restructuring that began in 2023, McKinsey last year dismissed 400 specialists in areas such as data and software engineering. It also increased pressure on its weakest-performing consultants to quit via an unusually tough mid-year performance review programme last year, according to people familiar with the matter. READ MORE McKinsey's headcount had grown by almost two-thirds in the five years to 2023 as it expanded beyond its core advisory services into larger-scale project implementation and business boomed for all consulting firms during the pandemic. Since the consultancy boom ended, the number of staff voluntarily leaving professional service groups has swung to record lows. The reduced level of attrition has caught many groups by surprise, following the 'Great Resignation' when a roaring jobs market and the effects of the pandemic led to workers quitting in favour of more rewarding or better-paid roles elsewhere. Bob Sternfels, McKinsey global managing partner, told colleagues last year that the firm intended to be 'back in balance' by the end of 2024. McKinsey's shrinking headcount contrasts with its smaller rival BCG, which last month reported a 10 per cent increase in global revenue to $13.5 billion for 2024 and said its workforce had grown by about 1,000 people to 33,000. Its headcount stood at 30,000 two years ago. McKinsey's workforce was '45,000 plus' at the end of 2022 and 45,100 at the end of 2023, according to its annual reports. The report for 2024, published this month, did not include staff numbers. The report also did not include a figure for 2024 revenue, unlike in previous years. McKinsey's revenue was $16 billion in 2023. McKinsey said: 'Our firm continues to grow and we're doing more impactful work, in more ways, than ever. We continue to recruit robustly and will welcome thousands of new consultants to our firm this year.' As well as slower revenue growth, the consulting industry is contending with the introduction of generative artificial intelligence, which is set to automate tasks performed by junior employees while increasing the productivity of others. Janet Truncale, global chief executive of EY, said at the Milken Institute annual conference this month that her firm would not cut jobs in response to AI but could do more with less. 'I like to think we can double in size with the workforce we have today,' she said. McKinsey said: 'Generative AI enables new levels of productivity for our teams.' Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
New ED consultants will strengthen under pressure workforce, says minister
The health minister has said the recruitment of up to 26 emergency medicine consultants will help stabilise and strengthen the healthcare workforce in Northern Ireland. The Department of Health said some of the consultants are already in post, with the others set to begin in their roles across all five health trusts by the end of the year. It said funding for the new posts comes from reducing spending on locum doctors in emergency departments and that it comes as part of work to find roles for newly-qualified consultants in the health system. Mike Nesbitt said everyone was "acutely aware of the very significant pressures" on emergency departments. "Both staff and patients want us to do all we can to alleviate those pressures and that's been a central focus for my department and trusts in recent months." He added that, at a meeting with the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) last year, he recognised that it was "incongruous" for Health and Social Care (HSC) to train emergency medicine doctors but then have no vacancies for them, while also "spending around £30m a year on locum cover for emergency departments". Prof Lourda Geoghegan, deputy chief medical officer, said she was "very encouraged" by early reports on the impact of the new consultants, who had not only helped reduce locum spending but also increased the "presence of senior decision-making in emergency departments". Dr Russell McLaughlin, vice chair of RCEM Northern Ireland, said its research showed there was a critical shortage of emergency medicine consultants, with only half the recommended number in place. "The need for expansion is clear," he added. "It's vital our departments have these senior decision makers, who are qualified and ready to step into these roles, which are critical for patient safety." Northern Ireland's emergency departments have been under severe pressure for years. On New Year's Eve figures showed that more than half of the 892 people who attended emergency departments (EDs) had to endure a wait of more than 12 hours. Figures released by the Department of Health (DoH) revealed that there was a 7.6% increase in hospital attendances over a 12-month period, with 63,347 attendees in December 2024 compared to 58,875 in December 2023. Dr McLaughlin said the situation in EDs was "deteriorating" as the health service "pushed through" another "hugely challenging winter". The figures showed that the number of ED attendees waiting more than 12 hours in December 2024 was 12,281, an increase from 10,597 in December 2023. The number of patients discharged or admitted within the target of four hours was highest in October 2024 (45.6%) and lowest in December 2024 (40.6%). Compared to December 2023, fewer people (-1.4%) spent under four hours in emergency departments, which had a figure of 42%. ED situation 'deteriorating', NI doctors warn Emergency departments have no space, says doctor 'We're at breaking point' - says ED doctor
BBC News
5 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
New ED consultants will strengthen under pressure workforce, says health minister
The health minister has said the recruitment of up to 26 emergency medicine consultants will help stabilise and strengthen the healthcare workforce in Northern Department of Health said some of the consultants are already in post, with the others set to begin in their roles across all five health trusts by the end of the year. It said funding for the new posts comes from reducing spending on locum doctors in emergency departments and that it comes as part of work to find roles for newly-qualified consultants in the health Nesbitt said everyone was "acutely aware of the very significant pressures" on emergency departments. "Both staff and patients want us to do all we can to alleviate those pressures and that's been a central focus for my department and trusts in recent months."He added that, at a meeting with the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) last year, he recognised that it was "incongruous" for Health and Social Care (HSC) to train emergency medicine doctors but then have no vacancies for them, while also "spending around £30m a year on locum cover for emergency departments".Prof Lourda Geoghegan, deputy chief medical officer, said she was "very encouraged" by early reports on the impact of the new consultants, who had not only helped reduce locum spending but also increased the "presence of senior decision-making in emergency departments".Dr Russell McLaughlin, vice chair of RCEM Northern Ireland, said its research showed there was a critical shortage of emergency medicine consultants, with only half the recommended number in place."The need for expansion is clear," he added."It's vital our departments have these senior decision makers, who are qualified and ready to step into these roles, which are critical for patient safety." Emergency department pressures Northern Ireland's emergency departments have been under severe pressure for New Year's Eve figures showed that more than half of the 892 people who attended emergency departments (EDs) had to endure a wait of more than 12 released by the Department of Health (DoH) revealed that there was a 7.6% increase in hospital attendances over a 12-month period, with 63,347 attendees in December 2024 compared to 58,875 in December McLaughlin said the situation in EDs was "deteriorating" as the health service "pushed through" another "hugely challenging winter".The figures showed that the number of ED attendees waiting more than 12 hours in December 2024 was 12,281, an increase from 10,597 in December number of patients discharged or admitted within the target of four hours was highest in October 2024 (45.6%) and lowest in December 2024 (40.6%).Compared to December 2023, fewer people (-1.4%) spent under four hours in emergency departments, which had a figure of 42%.
