28 October 2024 - Capability or Dependency?
By Peter Lawrence, Director
Whatever the initial ask may be, whether its culture diagnostics, organisation design, or wider organisation development needs, my primary question is, are you looking for someone to do it for you, or help you do it for yourself?
Whilst the former may at times be needed, it creates a costly dependency.
Traditional consultancy or buying in expertise may have the benefit of creating capacity whilst exporting the risk.
Over the past 9 years in our private practice, we have taken the decision that our primary focus will always be to create capability, not dependency having identified the following benefits,
Cost. Provided there is capacity in the organisation, capability building can be achieved at a significantly reduced cost for the organisation.
Ownership. Changes are led and owned by those who are going to be around beyond the life of the project or programme and are accountable for the choices required.
Intelligence. No one knows the operations of the organisation like those working in it on a day-to-day basis. They know what will work and are in a position to make intelligent choices
Personal Development. Learning by doing in a supportive environment producing repeatable skills, an investment in each other and the organisation.
Confidence. I am noticing that sometimes change practitioners lack the confidence to lead change, and the wider organisation lacks the confidence in them. Building internal capability creates confidence.
It is of course a choice. If you would like to know more about creating capability in your organisation, I would love to hear from you,