How can you make HR consulting recommendations sustainable and scalable?

1 Align with strategic goals

One of the first steps to make your HR consulting recommendations sustainable and scalable is to align them with the strategic goals and vision of your client. This means that you need to understand their mission, values, culture, and competitive advantage, and how they plan to achieve them. By aligning your recommendations with their strategy, you can ensure that they are relevant, coherent, and supportive of their long-term objectives. You can also use tools such as the balanced scorecard or the OKR framework to measure and communicate the impact of your recommendations on their strategic goals.

2 Involve stakeholders

Another key step to make your HR consulting recommendations sustainable and scalable is to involve the relevant stakeholders in the design and implementation of your solutions. This means that you need to identify and engage the people who will be affected by, responsible for, or influential in your recommendations, such as managers, employees, customers, partners, or regulators. By involving stakeholders, you can gain their input, feedback, buy-in, and ownership, and ensure that your recommendations are realistic, feasible, and acceptable. You can also use tools such as stakeholder mapping or the RACI matrix to analyze and manage stakeholder expectations and roles.

3 Adopt a change management approach

A third step to make your HR consulting recommendations sustainable and scalable is to adopt a change management approach to facilitate the transition from the current state to the desired state. This means that you need to plan and execute the activities and interventions that will enable your client to adopt, implement, and sustain your recommendations, such as communication, training, coaching, or reinforcement. By adopting a change management approach, you can address the potential barriers and risks, such as resistance, confusion, or inertia, and ensure that your recommendations are embedded and integrated into the organization. You can also use tools such as the ADKAR model or the Kotter's 8-step model to guide and monitor the change process.

4 Customize and standardize

A fourth step to make your HR consulting recommendations sustainable and scalable is to balance customization and standardization of your solutions. This means that you need to tailor your recommendations to the specific needs and characteristics of your client, such as their industry, size, structure, or culture, while also ensuring that they are consistent and compatible with their overall policies and practices. By balancing customization and standardization, you can ensure that your recommendations are flexible and responsive, but also efficient and coherent. You can also use tools such as the McKinsey 7S framework or the STAR model to assess and align the different elements of your client's organization.

5 Evaluate and improve

A final step to make your HR consulting recommendations sustainable and scalable is to evaluate and improve your solutions on a regular basis. This means that you need to collect and analyze data and feedback on the outcomes and impacts of your recommendations, such as their effectiveness, efficiency, quality, or satisfaction. By evaluating and improving your solutions, you can ensure that they are delivering the expected results, and that they are continuously adjusted and optimized to meet the changing needs and expectations of your client. You can also use tools such as the Kirkpatrick model or the PDCA cycle to measure and enhance the performance of your recommendations.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?