Traditional Consulting is Broken: Exploring New Strategies for Complex Problems in Organizations

Why do many problems persist in organizations despite the high expenses they incur to improve their situation by hiring experts and consultants?

Not all problems are the same. In general, they can be classified according to their complexity. Some are technical and could be solved by experts, while others are complex and adaptive, and do not have optimal and unique solutions.

Nowadays, organizations face many complex problems, such as digital transformation, sustainability and environmental impact, cybersecurity, change management, innovation and continuous improvement, leadership development, organizational agility, among others. These problems create mental models, norms, and customs within the organization itself, making change difficult.

The major flaw of many consultants or consulting firms is that, due to the urgency of completing the work to maximize their profits, they propose simple or linear solutions to solve complex problems. They may implement these solutions and see short-term results, but in the long run, due to the resilient nature of the problem, the situation does not change; on the contrary, it could worsen.

So, is there a consulting firm that offers a more empathetic alternative to the problems that organizations face and has the maturity and honesty to say that there is no simple solution to these problems, and that, on the contrary, a different strategy is required despite the impact on their revenue?

Yes, there is. And in fact, many more are emerging.

Ten years ago, as a professor at the University of Puerto Rico - Mayagüez, I participated in a program called Pathways to Innovation, organized by Stanford and Venturewell, to help engineering schools at universities promote entrepreneurship and innovation. In this program, I met Liz Nilsen, the organizer of the main activities, who introduced me to Ed Morrison. Ed developed, through practice and experimentation, and then anchored it in theoretical foundations, a process called Strategic Doing.

In the Pathways to Innovation program, Ed Morrison offered us a workshop on Strategic Doing and forever changed the way I saw things. Finally, I was able to understand that recognizing the nature of complex problems gives us the opportunity to use exploration, experimentation, and continuous learning to create journeys that invite collaboration and build trust. Through an iterative process, we can identify obstacles, learn from mistakes and failures, and move forward. More importantly, during this process, you can also have fun and enrich yourself by meeting and learning from others.

Over the past decade, I have delved into the field of adaptive management and complexity theory to identify tools and processes that help navigate complex problems. I had the opportunity to meet and learn from Ed Morrison, Liz Nilsen, Scott Hutcheson, Julio Jose Prado, Doug Smith, Antonino Ardilio, among many others, and I became a Fellow of the Strategic Doing Institute.

With Strategic Doing and other tools within the field of adaptive management, we finally recognized strategies that help organizations get out of the deadlock and move towards action and continuous change.

For this reason, I founded Acerola Strategies.

Certainly, not all organizations want to hear that the solution to their complex problems involves experimentation and continuous learning, as we are accustomed to seeking experts and paying whatever it takes to solve them. While there is undeniable value in having top talent within your organization, unfortunately, no one possesses infinite wisdom to solve these types of problems.

In addition to being honest about the true nature of complex problems, Acerola Strategies defines proven strategies to help organizations move towards action. We have a network of support experts, including some of those who educated me in the process, as well as individuals who bring their expertise and combine it with the methodologies we have used and adapted to different organizational contexts and circumstances.

Moreover, Acerola Strategies internally practices what it helps others develop. We have challenged the traditional consulting model in favor of a more collaborative, agile, and transparent approach, providing clients with various options to interact with us. Our pricing model is also unique and facilitates getting on board quickly.

I believe that we offer a perspective that is worth trying. We are part of a large group of practitioners around the world who are also experimenting with these tools and making the case for a new way of doing things.

If you want to know more about Acerola Strategies, our services, and prices, you can schedule a meeting by visiting this link: https://www.acerolastrategies.com/contact.