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Can external experts be a part of top management team

Swapnil Dhoke 5 Stories

Tuesday September 19, 2017 , 3 min Read

The Future of Work :

The corporate world is changing very fast to keep pace with the changing socio-economic system. Not only the technology but the nature of employment is also changing very fast. While there is a talk about flexi-force to manage jobs at junior middle level but some organisations have started defining Senior management team with Flexi experts as an integral part of their manpower strategy.

Change is not going to be Slow :

The pace of change is not the same what used to be in last two decades. Every year the pace increases and corporates are challenged with new growth & sustenance issues. Maintaining a status Quo is the last thing we can expect in the corporate world. The expectation from Top/Senior management is also changing rapidly. Executive Coaching, Executive development programs, role enhancement are also getting enriched to help Senior executives remain up to date.

Leadership by Expertise not by roles:

In some progressive organisations, Leadership Teams are no longer be designed for their roles, they are based on expertise. HR may have to keep on doing regular Business Needs assessment for the leadership expertise and will need quick actions to fill the needs instead of just changing current set of incumbents. A status Quo or delay in bringing requisite expertise can be a harmful step toward the achievement of Business objectives.

Is it outsourcing at Senior Management:

This is not an outsourcing model. It's about identifying Business performance gaps and filling the gap with “RIGHT” expertise in time. We encourage “On-Demand Experts” concept as an integral part of the staffing strategy.

Potential Risk in bringing “On-Demand Experts”:

There are some issues organisations may face like how to deal with these Experts at Senior management level. Do we share important company strategy with them, should we involve them in regular management reviews etc etc..We believe that with due NDA in place and adequate safety consideration these “On-Demand Experts” should be treated as part of the leadership team like other full-time leaders.

Will they threaten existing Senior Managers:

Integration of External consultants with Internal Senior Management team is one challenge which HR has to manage. It should also not lead to threat perception about potential job loss. On the other hand, Senior managers have to keep on doing self-calibration with market/business needs and do a continuous evaluation of their own "Contribution" towards business goal achievements. Loyalty and longevity in an organisation are no longer only parameters of remaining in employment.

Will they be “Low Cost” leaders:

It's not about getting experts on “Low Cost/day” rather it's about value-add you are looking for. They may be costlier than regular Senior managers but they bring requisite expertise required for your business at a particular time when it is needed most. It’s the timing of use of their expertise which will be more important than the cost involved.

“Get Me Experts” can help corporates work on “Need-Based leadership” as a strategy to deal with issues mentioned above to help them keep a pace of business changes.

We can help in formulating a clear strategy about the how, what, why, and when to use On-demand experts ( Both Technical & Professionals) to bridge short-term gaps in key company roles. This strategy will help in bringing efficiency in engaging these experts.