"Consultants leven in een droomwereld, tijd voor een andere aanpak"
Nieuwe speler Eurogroup Consulting betreedt Europese adviesmarkt met uniek concept, gedragen door 1200 consultants in 22 landen
NAARDEN / PARIJS, 20100318 -- Economisch, ecologisch, technologisch, politiek... de wereld is definitief aan het veranderen. Eurogroup Consulting, opgericht op 15 januari 2010 te Brussel, biedt een nieuw concept voor strategisch organisatieadvies. De oprichting is de laatste stap in de strategische lancering van deze onafhankelijke en Europese adviesorganisatie. Eurogroup Consulting heeft inmiddels een stevige, concurrerende positie weten in te nemen. En ligt daarmee op koers om haar ambitie waar te maken: de belangrijkste Europese partnership worden in de advies-branche.
1.200 adviseurs, 22 kantoren in 16 landen
De Groep is opgericht door zeven Europese partijen die gevestigd zijn in acht landen (België, Duitsland, Frankrijk, Italië, Luxemburg, Nederland, Oostenrijk en Portugal) en met elkaar verbonden in de Eurogroup Consulting Holding.
De Holding heeft een breed netwerk waardoor zij kan beschikken over 1.200 adviseurs verspreid over 16 landen en 22 kantoren. Gezamenlijk bieden deze kantoren hun klanten een brede internationale expertise gecombineerd met een lokale aanwezigheid.
Eurogroup Consulting is in meerdere markten actief: de financiële sector, utilities, manufacturing & consumer products, en de publieke sector.
Een Europees merk met een uniek business model
"Onze onafhankelijke en multi-lokale structuur maakt ons uniek," zegt Francis Rousseau, President van de Group. "Eurogroup Consulting benadrukt betrokkenheid, nabijheid en creativiteit. Het draait om het hebben van ideeën, om verantwoordelijkheid, en om samenwerking. Kort gezegd, wij bieden een krachtig alternatief voor het heersende consultancy model."
De nieuwe benadering uit zich in de signatuur van de Groep, THE ART OF MOBILIZATION. Francis Rousseau vertelt verder: "De uitdaging van het management van morgen zit in het mobiliseren van organisaties, in het dienen van een voor ieder betekenisvol doel. Onze aanpak draait er niet om onze klanten van ons afhankelijk te maken, noch om hen lijdzaam te volgen, maar om hen te allen tijde richting alle stakeholders succesvoller te maken."
Eurogroup Consulting in Nederland
Sinds 2007 is Eurogroup Consulting vertegenwoordigd in Nederland. "We hebben bewust gekozen voor een Europese integratie," vertelt Willem Hulshof, partner bij Eurogroup Consulting Nederland. "Onze klanten hebben steeds vaker met internationale vraagstukken en uitdagingen te maken. Vanuit onze multi-lokale benadering zijn wij in staat onze klanten nog beter te adviseren. Dat blijkt succesvol. Inmiddels komt ruim 25 procent van onze omzet voort uit internationale projecten."
Eurogroup Consulting in het kort
* Oprichting: 15 januari 2010
* Aantal adviseurs: 1200
* Aanwezigheid: 22 kantoren in 16 landen - België, Canada, Duitsland, Frankrijk, Groot-Brittannië, Ierland, Italië, Luxemburg, Marokko, Nederland, Oostenrijk, Polen, Portugal, Roemenie, Verenigde Staten, Zwitserland.
* Hoofdkantoor: Parijs
* Nederlandse vestiging: Naarden
Bijlage
Interview met Francis Rousseau, president van Eurogroup Consulting
Francis Rousseau, president and founder of Eurogroup Consulting, holds a strong opinion on what the profession of consulting should be like and how consultancy firms position themselves. He feels there is momentum to change the traditional Anglo-Saxon way of consulting and create a new, European approach.
What made you decide to create a new consulting group?
"For the last two decades, our world has been one in which financial markets are the truth. Everything is measured in dollars and the only thing people can think of in business is the money they will make in the next quarter. I think that's ludicrous. I've always opposed it and don't believe that the value of things can only be seen on the stock exchange. It's time to think differently; as the current economic crisis has shown."
What do you think are the challenges we are facing business-Wise?
"The way people and money live together will change. We'll move from a sort of savage liberalism to a more responsible liberalism. The economic triangle will be different. In the current triangle, there are rules on compliance, performance measurement and money. We need a triangle based on morality and ethics, recognizing human beings and sustainable development. That could be how we see a new economy after the crisis."
How can Eurogroup Consulting contribute to this responsible liberalism?
"The Anglo-Saxon way of thinking is widely accepted and understood by organisations but there has to be another way. I'm convinced that the European people have an alternative. We are well positioned to see things in another way. With our different cultures, origins, languages, and way of thinking, we can introduce a new stream of consulting. I think we, as Eurogroup Consulting, take the time to really work with our clients and focus on human beings instead of processes, ROI, stock exchange rates or value. And that's why we can introduce a new concept and a new way of consulting - the Art of Mobilization."
What do you mean by the art of mobilization?
"Mobilization is how we order the elements of the new economic triangle, namely morality, recognition and sustainability. It's a sum of tools that steers energy from the top to the bottom and vice versa, making people, not money, the driving force of an organisation. The word `Art' is very important because mobilization isn't a process or a methodology. And it isn't change management because change management is static, not dynamic. The Art of Mobilization involves really understanding the organisation in real circumstances. It's something you always have to be doing, every second, every minute, every hour."
Can you give an example of what mobilization is?
"Take France and the Netherlands for instance. The way you think in the Netherlands is completely different to the way we think in France. If we ignore these differences, we can't speak to each other. If you take the time and are able to understand why the other thinks differently, even when you differ dramatically on the same point, you become richer. I want people to think as human beings, not as systems. Another example is that consultants love to write reports, but if you just put that report on your clients desk, it's only paper. It's nothing! You have to give meaning to it. Make people understand that effort is important, that money is important, but that it's not the only way of measuring things. Involve them and the project will be a success."
So in order to mobilize people and organisations, we need a new type of consultant?
"Yes, consultants have to think freely and be open-minded rather than using methodologies and best practices. Consultants often forget to think, they are in a dream world, not the real world. The Art of Mobilization has to do with seeing this real world, and perceiving the people in it - the people we work with! For consultants it's not being right that's important, it's about understanding our clients. That's our job. Consultants don't need books to explain how to analyse and measure things. I want consultants to be builders of projects, where the financial value is a consequence, not the beginning."
With this new way of consulting, do you think Eurogroup Consulting is able to face the challenges you mentioned?
"We need a little bit of time to understand that a period is drawing to a close. As I said, for the last two decades, the only way of thinking has been in terms of money. The economic crisis has been a wake-up call for us to dramatically change the way we do business. In this respect, Eurogroup Consulting can try to introduce new concepts. As a consulting firm with ideas, not methodologies, but ideas that can help change things. And yes, that is a new way of thinking in consulting."