Sebastian Hartmann

Next Generation Management for Professional Services

Tag: People

The Future Workplace for Consulting Professionals
March 15, 2022

The Future Workplace for Consulting Professionals

The past two years have shown that consulting services do NOT need to be delivered on-site for clients by default. Based on our survey across representatives from 40 consulting firms, we can see that 60% of firms plan to deliver at least 50% virtually – some 25% even want to provide more than two-thirds of their work remotely.

This has far-reaching implications on the way consulting services and solutions are architected and sold. 86% expect significant changes here. It puts the technology backbone of the firm and the modern workplace for professionals at the center of attention. But what are the consequences for the management and leadership of professional services firms? What does it take to become and operate as a more digital „connected firm“?

Your Future Workforce won’t fit into Your Firm!
December 23, 2021

Your Future Workforce won’t fit into Your Firm!

For most professional and B2B services firms, human capital constitutes the largest single cost driver of business activities. The current pace of change across consulting, legal, accounting services, and other professions is driving massive shifts in human capital requirements, skill transformation needs, and talent shortages. At the same time, top-tier talent is increasingly harder to recruit, develop and retain. Professional services firms are recognizing that they are not immune to the Great Resignation.

That’s why more and more firms are beginning to leverage a mix of employees and contingent workers to meet their clients’ needs, deliver competitive services and solutions and transform themselves. An extended workforce approach helps firms reduce fixed costs, leverage specialized skillsets for varying periods, increase capacity and individual flexibility or even innovate and grow in new markets. Building management capabilities for an extended workforce that combines internal and external resources will define the success of many professional services firms in the coming years. This article outlines some fundamental building blocks for designing a workforce ecosystem strategy and management capability.

The COVID-19 aftermath for Professional Services: Three Hypotheses
March 16, 2020

The COVID-19 aftermath for Professional Services: Three Hypotheses

As the world is bracing itself for the impact of #COVID19 on our nations, economies, companies as well as individuals and societies, #professionalservices firms (#legal, #consulting, #accounting) are both positively and negatively impacted at once.
While it is clearly necessary to deal with the serious short-term implications of this terrifying situation, it may also be strategically important to think through the mid- to long-term implications for professional services in general and individual firms in particular.
So, here are three first hypotheses regarding the #Corona aftermath:

Next Generation Career Paths in Professional Service Firms
January 30, 2019

Next Generation Career Paths in Professional Service Firms

In order to thrive as a next generation PSF, leaders and managers need to acknowledge the need to hire, grow and retain top talent outside of traditional career paths – offering alternatives to contribute to a firm‘s success, to shape its path and drive its future.