Independent consulting to help you make the right choice
You are a manager, director, or supervisor. Strategy execution is your field. You know how to handle strategic reorientations, repositionings, and reorganizations. It all comes down to brainpower, decisiveness, and resilience. But creativity, tact, and wisdom are equally essential. In such moments, external support is often more than welcome. What if you had an expert consultant who thinks along with you, collaborates, and co-develops solutions? Together, you can work on strategic advice, innovation advice, data management advice, or even “just” BI advice. It’s crucial that this organizational advice – along with the related implementation guidance – is created with complete objectivity. That’s why the advisor and consulting firm must operate with 100% independence and integrity. Passionned Group has such consultants in-house.
What is organizational consulting?
According to the Dutch professional association for organizational consultants (OOA), organizational consulting involves contributing to the identification, analysis, and resolution of issues related to governance, policy, structure, and operations – either within an organization, about an organization, or between organizations. We translate this into a practical definition:
Organizational consulting means helping clients clarify – together – how a future organization or one of its components might function, including possible scenarios and key implementation aspects.
This service – formulating strategic advice – is always delivered from an independent standpoint. Its core values are expertise, reliability, diligence, and professional independence. Consultants who not only uphold but actively embody these values always deliver value that outweighs their fee.
What makes someone a good consultant?
A good consultant is analytical, knowledgeable, empathetic, honest, cooperative, reliable, flexible – and above all, critical. Because let’s face it: consultants who simply tell you what you want to hear aren’t of much value. Competent consultants bring a sharp focus. A dedicated and driven consultant improves the functioning of organizations, people, and systems – often restoring clarity and calm. They do this through well-balanced strategic IT advice, supply chain insights, data governance support, CRM guidance, or legally sound advice.
Consultants who only echo your opinions aren’t helpful.
Truly effective consultants are practical and committed to seeing their advice through to implementation – whether it’s strategy consulting, digital transformation, or BI advice. These top-tier consultants can be found at Passionned Group. Our team is rooted in the proven concept of The Data Science Book, that has already sold over 25,000 copies. Passionned Group consultants also have a strong, distinctive vision of data-driven working, continuous improvement, change management, and everything that surrounds it.
Strategy & advice: these are our specializations
Passionned Group’s consultants and data specialists are seasoned experts who offer guidance in the following areas, among others:
We don’t provide advice from just one domain or silo. We’re accustomed to taking an integrated view of the issues – which naturally leads to more sustainable solutions.
The Data-driven Growth Accelerators™
Strategy and advice: choose a clear advice process in 4 steps
Every advisory process goes through concrete phases that bring clarity and direction. Depending on your situation, the desired advisory role, and the type of advice – organizational, strategic, software-related, or otherwise – these phases can be extended, shortened, or deepened. In other words: tailor-made. Step by step, we arrive at an objective, well-founded, and independent piece of advice:
- Clarifying the issue: Through interviews, workshops, and documentation, we gain a better understanding of the core of the issue. We also look at the underlying causes, the desired future state, and the reason behind the change (the “why”).
- Contextual analysis: If relevant, we take into account technological, industry, and market developments. The world is changing rapidly, and ignoring the context can lead to serious consequences.
- Situation analysis: Based on the insights from the first two steps, we make an initial analysis and validate it with stakeholders and domain experts. Then we formulate findings, conclusions, and advice. If necessary, we provide different solution paths and scenarios, which are also tested with the most important stakeholders.
- Presentation of the advice: We present the final advice, including a summary of the process. This advice is presented in a mini-conference to you, your team, and the decision-makers.
We conclude with an evaluation and determine any follow-up steps – such as starting the implementation phase.
Choose from various advisory processes
Depending on your situation – and the scope and impact of the decision to be made – you can choose from various advisory roles and processes:
Figure 1: You can choose from multiple advisory roles with us.
The further to the right you go, the more extensively we take on the advisory role and the closer the collaboration becomes with your organization and your people. For large-scale projects, we often opt for interim management.
3 tips for dealing with a strategic consulting firm
The delicate relationship a client maintains with an organizational consulting firm and its consultants is 100% based on trust. After all, you don’t let just anyone look into your kitchen. But even once the atmosphere is familiar, it is wise to remain alert and businesslike. Three practical tips help.
- Pin the advisor down on achievable results. An advisor with integrity feels co-responsible for the end results. Therefore, the ambition level of our consultants is much higher than stated in the definition above. Passionned Group consultants do not just want to ‘contribute’, but explicitly take responsibility for the roll-out and implementation phase, including the end results based on SMART goals. “Don’t base your decisions on the advice of those who don’t have to deal with the results.” In other words, do not accept non-binding advice from consultants who have never “stood with their feet in the mud” themselves.
- Let heartfelt advice sink in first. Let the conclusions and recommendations sink in. Above all, do not react immediately. Let the advice settle, because as the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge already knew: “Advice is like snow – the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind.” Freely translated: receive advice with an open mind. But also read between the lines and then act not only to the letter, but also in the spirit of the advice. This is how you get maximum return from the strategic organizational advice. Or as American author Harper Lee pithily put it, “Many receive advice, only the wise profit from it.”
- Make conclusive agreements about dealing with data. Organizational consultants often use a lot of (privacy-sensitive) data from clients and employees, and in addition to the risk of a data breach, they also run the risk of losing data along the way. This increasingly poses considerable business risks. A major data breach can even put your organization’s reputation at risk and lead to bankruptcy. Always have a data advisory and data governance advisory drawn up and make proper agreements with the external advisor on how they will handle your data.
Passionned Group: the best choice in organizational advice
You want to be sure that you not only make the right choice but also the best choice – and receive comprehensive organizational advice to match. Whether it’s CRM software advice, process advice, new business advice, or customer experience advice, the consultants and organizational advisors at Passionned Group are happy to help you.
Every year we invest a lot of time in research & training
We work almost exclusively with senior consultants who have already earned their stripes in numerous consultancy projects across various sectors. Every year, we invest significant time and resources in research and training to ensure that our (organizational) advice remains of the highest quality.
Smart advice: let your company work smarter too
Our consultants specialize in organizational advice with a focus on building and realizing an intelligent, data-driven organization. Of course, you can also turn to us for advice on specific components. The advantage for you is that we always go the extra mile. An integrated vision and a pragmatic approach significantly increase the success rate of your projects.
Independent advice with a golden lining
In our view, clarity is something we create together – client and consultant – throughout the advisory process. Where things may initially seem unclear and options uncertain, there comes a point when everyone gains a clear picture of the decision the organization must or can make. The reasoning behind that decision also becomes fully transparent. And that clarity extends to everyone involved. This helps prevent confusion during implementation. Daan van Beek, head of the Passionned Group and author of several management books, explains what that means: “We give advice with a golden edge.”
The advantages of Passionned Group
- 100% independent from suppliers or third parties – our only interest is your success
- Integral approach, ensuring our advice is not only sound but also feasible
- Consultants who implement and overcome real obstacles
- Also available for second opinions or implementation support
Do you also want objective advice?
Are you looking for strategic management advice, data science advice, digital transformation advice, strategic ICT advice, Lean Six Sigma advice, or process optimization advice? Our advice always makes sense, and our organizational consulting can truly make a difference. Thanks to our integrated approach, the recommendations are widely supported within your organization and easy to implement. Feel free to contact us for more information or schedule an introductory meeting.
About Passionned Group
Passionned Group specializes in advising on and implementing data-driven, intelligent organizations. Our passionate and inspired consultants support both large and small organizations in their transition to becoming intelligent enterprises. Every other year, we organize the competition for the Smartest Organization in the Netherlands.
Reviews about Advice
Eric Ossel | Municipality of Delft: The project was executed excellently, we received sharp advice, and the collaboration was great.Fons Catau | The Residence: Passionned Group consultants challenge your organization. They are not easily satisfied with a solution and are therefore able to achieve real results.
