Internal and External Consultants within a Ministry of Defence Context - Coursework Example

ACADEMIC REVIEW OF THE CASE FOR AND AGAINST INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CONSULTANTS WITHIN AN MOD CONTEXT Student’s Name Course Professor’s Name University City (State) Date Academic Review of the Case for and Against Internal and External Consultants within a MOD Context Throughout the Ministry of Defence (MOD), it is common to hear the concept of consultancy; however, not many individuals can show the difference between it and the other customer related practices. Apart from consultancy, there are other methods such as coaching, counseling, and mentoring that seem to seek efficiency in the short and long-term business planning. According to Kakabadse, Louchart, and Kakabadse (2006, p. 418), even the consultants are not aware of their roles in the organization sometimes. In a nutshell, the consultancy concept has gained a lot of controversy over the years that have created a lot of confusion. Hoos et al. (2014, p. 1) defined consultancy as the characteristic of helping organizations to work by addressing the problems they face. The consultants have a particular expertise and wisdom that they bring into the organization so that the institution can achieve their goals. On the other hand, Pascale and Sternin (2005, p. 72) see consultancy as a way of bridging the gap between what the organization can achieve and what is happening at that particular period. Howlett and Migone (2013, p. 246) observed that there are two types of consultants, the internal and the external. This paper will give a critical examination of the two forms of consultancy by exploring the benefits and challenges that are linked to each. While both internal and external consultants are necessary to the MOD, each comes with advantages and disadvantages. Sturdy and Wylie (2011, p. 1) defined private consultancy into broad categories; a first category is a dedicated group within the organization which focuses on ensuring that they start projects and reach the defined objectives within the organization. This form of the internal consultancy is independent and mostly found in the larger groups which are similar to that of external consultancy. The other category and the most common in all types of organization is a specialty in a particular area of the organization such as human resource management (HRM), business improvement, finance, marketing among others. In this case, the consultant will give expertise in the best way to manage a particular resource in an organization, for instance, if it is the human resource, the private HRM consultancy advises the senior staff about the appropriate employees. Sturdy and Wylie (2011, p. 2), explained that there are dynamic and fluid internal consultants. Mina, Bascavusoglu-Moreau, and Hughes (2014, p. 856) describes the external consultants as outsiders who are hired because of their wisdom and knowledge in a particular field such as marketing. In short, the consultancy is about finding awareness and expertise in a particular area. The use of consultancy creates value in the organization. Nevertheless, the magnitude of the value depends on the type of consultancy an organization uses. Some authors argue that the external consultancy (EC) create more value for the MOD than the internal consultancy (IC). The EC is believed to have high levels of expertise, credibility, and experience especially if they have published their credentials online and they are well known. The senior executives will prefer to hear from them so that they can benchmark their best practices and bury the pit holes of the organization. Additionally, since they lack any conflicting interest, they offer objectivity when it comes to solutions (O'Dwyer and Boomsma 2015, p. 45). Contrary, Pascale and Sternin (2005, p. 78) argues that though the internal consultants are not valued like the external experts, they give in-depth knowledge to the business. These ICs know more of the organization, and therefore the information they provide is sensitive to the real issues that the MOD is experiencing at that particular period. Unfortunately, since this IC position is less valued the MOD end up hiring a less experienced person so that they can give them less influential power. In short, the external consultants especially the well-known are more valued than the internal experts who are mostly less experienced in any particular field. The defense is always evolving in respect to the global political and security environment, and that is why they need to use consultancy. According to Thompson (2014, p.5), MOD is determined to offer adaptable and agile armed forces that can fit in this century. As a result, they need to acquire the wisdom and knowledge while developing the long-term aspects of defence such as the military strategic and political direction. In consideration of the cultural context, the MOD program must be evaluated so that to come up with the understanding of the structural and political factors that needs to be addressed. In the case of the MOD cultural aspects are also important because they show its uniqueness among the rest of the defence groups. As a result, it is easier for the internal consultancy to offer the right information about the position. However at the same an external adviser will bring in added information that can increase sensitivity on the global environmental security. Ministry of Defence (2015, p. 19) stated that the MOD uses the external service providers such as Defence Infrastructure Organization (DIO) to deliver the service and performance that they require. The procurement of the different strategies works towards maximizing efficiency and effectiveness within the organization. The MOD cannot be successful if it does not utilize the ability of both the external and internal resources (Thompson 2014, p.5). In short, in the context of armed forces knowledge context, the internal consultancy is preferred over the external adviser because of the sensitivity. When dealing with projects that require large amounts of data, it is advisable to use the external consultancy rather than the internal consultancy because they have diverse sources of information. For instance, when two countries are warring, the ECs can get information from both sides because they are independent. The internal consultants, on the other hand, will be blocked out or even their army will restrict any interactions with the other side. Additionally, within the MOD when there is an internal issue it is easier to talk to a stranger rather than a new person (Thompson 2014, p.9). Conley-Tyler (2005, p.4) noted that people most of the time are willing to speak to a stranger rather than their colleagues. Furthermore, the EC is in a position to bring in a new perspective of what they think about the military issue than a person who is part of it. In short, it is difficult for the internal consultant to deliver substantial information about army projects such as wars. It is therefore suitable given to the external evaluator because they can connect with different people and therefore get the information that they need. When it comes to costs of operations, the internal consultants are more cost-effective than the external ones. Nonetheless, it is not always the case since most of the time the internal experts are long-term employees while the outer ones are only hired for a particular project. Sturdy and Wylie (2011, p.6) the ICs are perceived like the permanent change agencies within the organizations although sometimes they are also experts on an individual subject matter. The HRM has the mandate to decide whether or not delivering a particular plan through the EC and IC is the best protocol to achieve the specific needs. On the other hand, Kakabadse, Louchart, and Kakabadse (p. 420) emphasizes that the MOD and other businesses seek consultancy because of the uncertainty that is created by the fast changing environment. The request only occurs when the company is aware that they need help on a particular issue and it is during this given period they feel the need to purchase a special service. (Scott and Hascall 2016, p.6) stated that each other hour the ICs are idling with the organization wastes the resources of the company. Therefore, the cost of the internal and external consultancy is subject to the activities of the MOD. Another advantage of using the ICs is the availability when the organization is undertaking any project. Scott and Hascall (2016, p. 13) noted that the ICs not only advises about the project that is involved even in the implementation process. The ICs give advice that will personally help in implementation and continue to play a significant role throughout the project. Similarly Szulanski (1996, p. 28) backed up the information by stating that the IC team is focused on increasing the efficiency of MOD. Over the years, the IC builds up knowledge and experience that enables them to deal not only with the internal issues but also the others that are beyond the organization. Notably, even the strong ECs started out as the ICs, and that is why they are successful in the work that they do in the current expertise. Contrary Conley-Tyler (2005, p.6) noted that the availability of the ECs is more dependent on their relationship with MOD. If they have the past and rewarding relationship, then the external consultancy will be available at any time the company needs consultancy activities. The ECs are believed to be more objective than the ICs because they are unbiased and open minded than the ICs who are part of the organization and its behaviors. Tholens (2017, p. 880) emphasized that the ICs objectivity is compromised by the MOD policies and value system. For many years, the theorists believed that no matter how the consultant is neutral to the matter at hand, they always have some implicit value about the issue that they are dealing with unconsciously. In short, though the ICs are more susceptible when it comes to objectivity even the others must be somehow interested especially since they belong to that particular society. Notably, the solution and success of any given project are complete if the consultant is impartial. Further, some critiques doubt whether, at any particular time, there can be complete objectivity. Fewer authors such as Hartley, Benington, and Binns (1997, p. 64) who believe that there can be continued impartiality while dealing with the activities involving the MOD. Furthermore, perceived objectivity is considered when selecting the ECs and ICs. This context is more of how the objectivity appears and hence satisfies more when the consultancy is entirely independent of the program. Interestingly, at all times the external adviser will be considered independent and objective so long as they have no past relationship with the client (Trist et al. 2013, p. 14). Contrary, the ICs can be accurate if they follow the professional standards such as clarity and transparency (Tholens (2017, p. 882). In short, the external consultancy is more objective than the internal consultancy, but if the internal consultancy uses professional standards such as clarity, then they can also be objective. A more critical issue when it comes to the selection of the external and internal evaluators is the accountability of the use of the government funds for the MOD. (Conley-Tyler 2005, p.8) noted that if the MOD is undertaking a government project, the organization must use the external consultancy since the money is of public spending rather than their internal purposes. In short, so long as there is a government funding involved, the process must be entirely transparent, and that is why the external consultants who are independent are necessary (Cousins et al. 2014, p. 5). Nevertheless, the accountability can be achieved through the use of both external and internal consultancy. The difference is it is greater when the external adviser is considered. The external consultancy will be willing to criticize if the organization is not efficiently using the public funds unlike the internal consultants because they are part of that one large team. In short, when using the government funding, the external consultancy is preferred so that they can create accountability. However, the internal consultancy also enables the transparency but not in greater lengths. In brief, the selection of either the internal and external consultancy is dependent on the project that is being undertaken by the MOD. Apparently, both forms of consultancy have disadvantages and advantages that are typically related to the project. Evidently, from the critical analysis, there are situations when the internal consultancy is preferred over the external one. For instance, when dealing with the MOD knowledge affairs, the internal consultancy is preferred because they are aware of what is needed. On the other hand, when undertaking public funded programs, it is advisable to use the external consultancy because it would create more accountability. In short, both forms of consultancy are necessary and if possible should combine since that way they maximize efficiency. References Conley-Tyler, M., 2005. A fundamental choice: internal or external evaluation?. Evaluation Journal of Australasia, 4(1/2), p.3. Cousins, J.B., Goh, S.C., Elliott, C., Aubry, T. and Gilbert, N., 2014. Government and voluntary sector differences in organizational capacity to do and use evaluation. Evaluation and Program Planning, 44, pp.1-13. DE&S TRANSFORMATION: The Freedom to Change. 2015. Ministry of Defence. Hartley, J., Benington, J. and Binns, P., 1997. Researching the Roles of Internal‐change Agents in the Management of Organizational Change. 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