"If I never see another consultant again,
it will be too soon."
William Clay Ford Jr., CEO of Ford Motor Company
From New York Times (June 30, 2002)
Why would the CEO of one of the largest companies in the U.S., who has direct access to the most prestigious consulting firms in the world, swear off consultants? We suggest the answer is simple — lack of results. A recent study by Kennedy Information, Inc. found that only 35% of clients are currently satisfied with their consultants ("Kennedy Information: Client Intelligence Report"; May 2002). This is, regrettably, a sad indictment of the consulting profession in general.
You might be wondering why we at Catalyst would publish such a poor "report card" for our profession. After all, isn't our ultimate objective to convince you to hire us the next time you need "outside" help (by the way, that is our objective!)? The answer lies in our fundamentally different approach to clients and their problems. As you explore this site and learn more about the solutions that we offer, you'll discover that Catalyst is dedicated to Unlocking Results™ for our clients.
Instead of trying to impose "standard" solutions that happen to coincide with the latest management fad, consulting tome, or "food group" (cheese or fish anyone?), Catalyst believes that the way to create lasting value for our clients is to leverage the client's existing internal capabilities to the greatest extent possible. We believe that every organization has the inherent capacity to solve most of its own problems, to "unlock results" from within, if the right external stimulus is introduced. In other words, we believe that if the right catalyst is added to the client's existing mix of skills, knowledge, and personnel, then a solution can be found that is "owned" by the client. We are not interested in producing scholarly reports that can be weighed in pounds and that are destined to become paperweights in our clients' offices. We are committed to producing results that last — a commitment we call Consulting-that-Works™ — and we back up that commitment with a satisfaction guarantee.
Do your existing professional advisors guarantee their work? They should, or the consulting profession will continue to get a terrible client satisfaction score. Catalyst Consulting Partners is doing its share to raise the standard for professional services. You deserve no less.
Solutions that Work
Catalyst specializes in developing and implementing process improvement, organization development and strategic planning solutions that create lasting value for our clients. In terms of the Enterprise Model of business that we subscribe to, we are typically called upon to help clients in the areas of Strategy Formulation (i.e., Leadership coupled with Strategy) and Strategy Implementation (which includes Issue Resolution, Culture, Goals and Measurement, Organizational Structures, etc.).
In an effort to make excellent consulting services more affordable, Catalyst has developed a portfolio of pre-packaged workshops and seminars that can be facilitated by either a Catalyst associate or by one of our client's own staff.
We have also developed innovative families of services that are designed to help our clients better understand and focus their needs — before they contact us to explore consulting solutions. Our current solutions include:
Download Catalyst's
Free Kit: STRATEGIES FOR THE EXECUTIVE TEAM
The SPEED Challenge™ Through the The SPEED Challenge™, we help business executives learn and follow a deceptively-simple five-step circular process that will keep them focused on the most important ingredients of success: strategies; markets and customers; employees; business agility; and timely execution.
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Leadership that Works™Good leadership drives good performance, and Catalyst is dedicated to Leadership that Works™. We are eager to see our clients succeed in the global marketplace, so we devote significant time, energy and resources to supporting company leaders individually (e.g., executive coaching, 360-degree feedback, mentoring, etc.) and as part of a leadership team (e.g., executive team retreats, role analyses, style assessments, etc.). |
Teams that Work™Catalyst has spent years working with clients to improve the effectiveness of their team activities. We are committed to Teams that Work™, our label for the belief that teams should strive for synergy — or cease to be a "team."
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Organizations that Work™Culture by itself is not a bottom-line commodity. You won't see it itemized on the balance sheet. But research suggests that a company with a healthy, adaptive culture will generally outperform a company with an unhealthy, rigid culture, sometimes in dramatic fashion. Companies with strategically conducive cultures stand a better chance of achieving their goals, so Catalyst has developed what we call our Organizations that Work™ series of assessments, workshops and seminars. |
Family-Owned Businesses At Catalyst, we understand family business issues, are sensitive to the "tight rope" that many family business leaders must walk daily, and have the personal integrity to treat family matters with discretion. |
Small & Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)According to U.S. Census Bureau data for 2002, there are more than 1.1 million Small Enterprises and another 82,000 Medium-Sized Enterprises in the U.S. By any measure, SMEs are a powerful economic force. Catalyst is committed to supporting these critical contributors to our national economy by providing "blue chip" quality process improvement, organization development, and strategic planning solutions at prices that SMEs can readily afford.
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Non-Profit Enterprises At Catalyst, our consulting associates (especially co-founder Cynthia Waisner) have a wealth of experience helping the leaders of non-profit organizations address their unique challenges — by applying best practices from the fields of management science, organization development, behavioral science and leadership development. |
Private Equity & Venture Capital Firms Several years ago, Catalyst's co-founder Glen Waisner identified ten distinct elements of leadership risk. These elements represent factors that have been shown to contribute to portfolio company underperformance. Glen also developed practical strategies, interventions and guidelines for constructively dealing with each of these ten elements. |
