At the pace of modern innovation, to maintain a competitive edge, companies need on-demand access to specialized expertise. It’s no longer sufficient to throw smart, but inexperienced, people onto a complex problem. Digital connectedness, combined with the rapid migration of top talent into independent consulting, allows business leaders to find someone who’s already solved their exact problems before.

Welcome to the era Catalant calls Consulting 2.0. It’s a modern, digitally-enabled approach to solving complex business problems, giving leaders (even those outside of the C-suite) direct access through a technology platform to the expertise of business professionals who have the skills required to drop in on demand and execute strategic work. 

Consulting 2.0 unbundles work and democratizes access

Consulting 2.0 is agile, flexible, and driven by technology. Projects are right-sized to fit the problem at hand. Unbundling traditional consulting enables companies to move more quickly. Clients are utilizing Consulting 2.0 in many key ways: 

• Independent consultants on scoped deliverable projects
• Project managers and interim executives for functional expertise and transformation work
• Custom teams of independent consultants, specifically tailored to the scope of work. Teams are led by senior consultants supported by experienced operators with relevant industry expertise. 

Utilizing a technology platform enhanced by experienced senior project advisors, matching algorithms scan the thousands of business consultants in our community to identify prospective consultants within 24 to 48 hours. These consultants are former senior operators, consultants, and SMEs who have solved your specific problem before. Accessible even beyond the C-suite, many leaders within an organization are empowered to leverage Consulting 2.0 for precision problem solving.

How Consulting 2.0 offers more value to clients 

Consulting 2.0 is a digitally enabled form of consulting, suited for an interconnected world. It’s characterized by access to professionals who are not “career advisors.” Former operators, consultants, subject-matter experts, academics, and classically trained project leaders are all in demand in a world where having solved a particular problem before brings tremendous value. How does this value translate to clients?  

1. It’s flexible 

Consulting 2.0 allows companies to find and hire just the amount of expertise needed, whether that’s 1 person for a week, 10 for a year, or anything in between. Short or long, large or small – it’s all possible. 

2. It’s fit to purpose

Consulting 2.0 is solution-oriented to fit any need, and operating experience is the norm, not the exception. Taking an unbundled approach and breaking down a problem into component parts means being able to find specialized experience for each aspect of a problem. You’re getting tailored solutions from experienced problem solvers, not early career generalists learning on the job. 

3. It’s fast and frictionless

In a fast-changing world, speed is the differentiator that exceptional companies possess. With access to a consulting network, vs. being locked in with a single firm, you can find someone within hours and have them working on your problem the next day.

4. It’s fair and transparent

With an unbundled, networked approach, most of the money goes straight into the pocket of the person doing the work vs. large overheads, reducing the feeling clients often have of paying junior resources for ‘on-the-job training’ or lining partner’s pockets. 

What is Catalant’s role in the movement? 

Over the last ten years, Catalant has built an industry-leading platform to quickly pair highly experienced independent consultants with companies to solve precise problems. We’ve vetted tens of thousands of former consultants, industry operators, and boutique firms who have the business acumen and experience required to manage a Fortune 10 transformation project or a niche market analysis.

Today, as the leader of the movement, more than 30% of the Fortune 500 and the top private equity firms and their respective portfolio companies trust Catalant to solve complex problems. Learn more about Catalant’s leading position in the movement to Consulting 2.0 in this recent Forbes article.

Can consulting firms operate this way, too? They can! Dozens of the world’s leading consulting firms lean on Catalant as an expansion joint for their teams. They use Catalant to augment their teams with specialized spot expertise or an extra pair of experienced arms and legs, or when they want to build or scale a new service offering and practice area with the right talent and expertise. 

Not sure how to shift from Consulting 1.0 to Consulting 2.0? Our Client Partners are here to help. Contact us today!