View source for The Role of the Internal Consultant

== Description ==

Internal consultants are typically looked down upon because they are no effectively used. The most common application is under utilization followed by a disbandment. However, the original idea behind the internal consultant is has merit. Internal consultants know the system reducing the lead up time and there is a greater ability to control the situation in regards to security. However, there seems to be a small but growing trend of hybrid internal consultants that may be more effective in the long run.

Such hybrids can take the form of three different internal consultants. The first is called a centre of excellence. While technically an internal consultant this centre would essentially attempt to solve issues before they arise by using scenario thinking and seeking out potential missteps in the future. The second hybrid would focus on innovation by incentivizing employees to spend 10-20% of their time on thinking of new ways to improve the company. The final hybrid is technically an external consultant, but a external consultant that only has about 3-7 lifetime clients.

A rise in any of these hybrid internal consultants will have a profound impact on the necessity of traditional external consultants.

== Enablers ==

# Proprietary information and intellectual property rights
# Openness of Information
# Focus on internal security
# Desire for more long-term committed relationships with consultants
# Move towards specialized client-consultant relationship


== Inhibtors == 

# The growing trend and acceptance of outsourcing - If security issues no longer remain in the forefront of firms' minds and outsourcing becomes wildly used, the push towards inside out innovation will not grow.
# Rising intellectual power of emerging markets - If the brain power of emerging markets continue on its exponential growth, many firms will lose innovation potential by remaining inside the firm
# Availability of human capital from emerging market - As human capital becomes cheaper and more easily accessible in emerging markets, the incentives to stay inside my no longer outweigh the potential savings of tapping into the emerging markets
# Lack of outside the box thinking - A major danger of not using external forces for innovation and problem solving is that ideas can run into the trap of being predictable and lacking outside thinking.

== Paradigms ==

If internal consultants become the norm because of security and IP rights, and a desire for more specialized long-term relationships, the need for external consultants and short-term assignments will be few and far between. External consultants will still be valid for certain necessities, such as validation or capacity issues, but external consultants as a "hired-gun" for short-term projects will no longer be desired as a first option.

== Timing ==

1950 - 3M introduces first known internal innovation programme with a "15% rule" creating innovating products such as masking tape and Post-it notes<br>
2005 - Google brings internal innovation programmes into the spotlight by generating approximately 50% of revenue through the programme and releasing products such as gmail

== Experts ==

Marissa Mayer - Vice President of Search Product and User Experience at Google. Essentially the public face of Google.

== Web Resources ==

http://www.scottberkun.com/blog/2008/thoughts-on-googles-20-time/<br>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soYKFWqVVzg<br>
http://enrd.ec.europa.eu/app_templates/filedownload.cfm?id=B7288CC2-AAAF-2E2A-742A-040F3A77A56B