It is with much interest that I listen to the furore surrounding the Government's use of one of the 'big four' management consultancies to assist with its' health reforms and the resulting potential conflict of interest issue around corporate hospitality, which is inexorably linked with senior reform staff.

Consultancies do have a place...but be cautious. 

From my vantage point, I come across the major consultancies all of the time - especially when discussing with businesses how to effect change within their organisations. I have also worked in one of the UK's foremost business transformation practices, so can see both sides of the fence. What is clear is that there will always be a strong need for these types of organisations with their brand assurance, highly intelligent personnel, extensive insights and thought leadership. 

But what is not required is widespread non-delivery and the passing of the risk back to the client (while holding the intellectual property to a point whereby they are critical to the organisation)so that management consultancies can continuously sell on and costs spiral out of control.

Moreover, their high overheads drive margins and prices that businesses should think more than twice about before using. 

In the interim... 

Whilst the interim management model cannot entirely replace the work done by these organisations, we do provide a credible, highly assured delivery capability, especially once the vision and the objectives of a change transformation programme have been identified. Whether it's a skilled individual interim manager or a transformation team you need, our candidates become fully embedded into an organisation and are far more cost effective. Crucially, they transfer their IP into the business, and are affordable at a time when change is a must to cope with the falling revenues and margins in difficult markets. 

So I say to both Government and the NHS: there is a credible alternative to management consultancies who aren't performing - as we have demonstrated in several key Foundation Trust hospitals and with some of major outsource healthcare providers recently. I look forward to working with many more in 2012 as the health sector turns to interim - and to Alium. 

Nigel Peters
Managing Director