แปลสัมมนาOne way of passing this “Consul-Way” on to newcomers is to assign them to
projects with experienced colleagues from the outset. For instance, one newcomer
reports how remarks and corrections to his performance help him to adjust and to align
with the company expectations:
I would probably say, that the biggest eye opener was the one I got from Eric after the first
meeting we had with XX [customer], where he called me afterwards and said to me: “You have
to be a little more sharp around the edges. It is what they buy us for [. . .] not as consensus
seeking, and you know, going with the flow [. . .]”, and I am rather ambitious, so that hit me
hard and I have thought a lot about that afterwards (Newcomer, Consul).
Even when newcomers in Consul are experienced consultants, with good and reputable
track records from elsewhere, the institutional order is difficult to escape also in
instances where the “Consul-Way” seem counter intuitive to what the consultants have
succeeded with before. One experienced newcomer states:
And I can see, that some of what Consul preaches and some of what Consul claims to work
and create enormous improvements, conflicts more or less with my previous experience
(Newcomer, Consul).
The newcomers’ experience of what works in other situations is, in other words,
challenged by the experience built up in the methodological apparatus advocated by
Consul and reified in templates, agendas, and materials found in the databases.
The newcomer, then, is caught between his own knowledge and experience of what
works and the established knowledge base in Consul.
These examples are seen as ways of instigating the institutional order on the
newcomer, formally as well as informally. Introducing the new employee to the
procedures and administrative routines of the company as well as to the “Consul-Way”
from the outset sends a clear signal of what tools to apply when, where and how.
Also the institutional order is conveyed to newcomers either explicitly by old-timers
giving advice and guidance, or implicitly by newcomers working together with
old-timers on projects.
However, as with Major Bank, the institutional order is also constantly challenged
by the entry of newcomers. For instance, one newcomer mentions a specific example of
how a presentation of how to minimize tensions and frustrations associated with
mergers and acquisitions, which proved successful in a previous job, has been modified
and transferred into the new setting by reusing PowerPoint presentations:
I have a PowerPoint presentation about mergers and change management that I have used
previously, and some of the slides about what you need to be aware of, different reactions in
a change process were used in a modified form (Newcomer, Consul).
Also pinpointed actions directed towards specific businesses or sectors which
newcomers with specialized knowledge challenge the institutional order by offering
new ways of approaching certain sectors. One newcomer explains how his knowledge
of the public sector has caused a change in the way estimates and proposals are written
and presented to potential public clients because this has to be different from private
clients. One manager explains that it is part of their recruitment strategy to hire people
with sector specific knowledge, and newcomers are described to take with them
knowledge from specific industries where Consul has had no projects previously.
Such experience is subsequently incorporated into the existing framework in the
SBR