Client-consultant relationship

By Fiona Czerniawska.

There’s no gain without pain, apparently. But the level of pain clients are willing to put up with to transform their organisations seems to be changing.

We all know that digital transformation is big business. No right-minded client would contemplate such a large-scale programme without thinking carefully about the potential barriers and risks involved. But their attitude has been positive, their assumption being that the barriers can be overcome and the risks solved. Moreover, the size of the prize justifies pushing through strategies that may worry some. If an initiative isn’t outside your comfort zone then it’s probably not transformational.

By Fiona Czerniawska.

Lots of consulting firms get very excited by the proportion of their work that’s repeat business. Obviously, they say, it’s because we’ve done such a good piece of work that they keep asking us to come back and do more. And at a common-sense level that’s obviously true: no one would buy twice from a duff supplier. But firms shouldn’t lull themselves into a false sense of security.

By Fiona Czerniawska.

The Power of the Placebo was a fascinating BBC documentary on something we’re all familiar with, the placebo effect. The conclusions were anything but familiar, however. It turns out that placebos don’t fool us into thinking we’ll get better: it’s possible for people to take pills they know to be fake, even undergo fake operations, and still experience a positive impact. The placebo effect, the programme argues, comes down to the relationship someone has with their doctor: when a physician spends longer talking to a patient, they’re more likely to respond to treatment.