agile-ia-image

The Professionals ….. and the Rise of the Gig Economy

Odgers Connect report (click here) is music to my ears! It makes very interesting reading (thank you Carolyn Douthwaite of PiR for flagging it to me). I am infamous for my misquotes, but I am sure it was a famous entrepreneur (it is usually Gates or Jobs) who said ‘I wish I had gone to the experts sooner’. It is an adage I have tried to keep close. There are far too many business leaders spending time grappling with issues that aren’t within their strength area. Surely the answer is to buy in a flexible resource from the professional gig economy.
Odgers Connect’s report suggests that of the estimated £9.75 billion spent in the UK Economy in 2016 approximately £2 billion was with independent consultants. What is more, the report highlights that:
• Flexibility was more important than price in selecting independent consultants
• In 2 of the 4 categories polled independents were regarded as higher quality than consultants at traditional firms (in the other 2 categories they were regarded as on a par)
• The use (and willingness to use) independent consultant is on the rise
Reluctance to engage with Independent consultants (the Odgers Connect) report suggests relates mainly to two areas:
1. A lack of quality control
2. An over reluctance of personal relationships
Both of these issues are addressed by Marshall Wolfe’s Virtual Bench Team Solution (info@marshallwolfe.co.uk), but also, in my opinion, by considering the middle ground of niche consultancies. Many of whom have registered track records and a small resource pool of similarly skilled individuals (indeed these niche consultancies are themselves often formed from independent consultants recognising the advantages of delivering with some scale / bandwidth).
From my own perception, gone are the days when you had to pretend your entire delivery team was made up of permanent employees, buyers embrace a solution made up of trusted partnerships (and these will often include Independent Consultants performing key roles).

Share this post

Unit One, Robertsons Boatyard, Lime Kiln Quay Road, Woodbridge IP12 1BD