How do you keep people motivated enough to perform well and work for long hours in a high-pressure environment?
It is a crucial question for management consultancies (and other professional service firms), which are – by definition of their core competence – dependent on good performers and dedicated employees.
The key to keeping people motivated is job satisfaction. Plenty of studies argue that high job satisfaction within an enterprise correlates with motivation and consequently good organisational performance, whereas low job satisfaction demotivates employees and therefore causes poor performance at work.
Traditionally, the nature of consulting work as well as the extrinsic benefits that come with it were thought to be enough to keep consultants satisfied and motivated. More recently, with the rising importance of work-life balance, consultancies and other professional service firms have taken additional measures for their workforce.
The nature of management consulting work can provide employees with intrinsic motivation, which means deriving a reward directly from the work itself. Organisational science suggests that complexity, variety, significance, and autonomy are all related to higher work motivation (Kemp N., Clegg C. and Wall T. (1980)), and a consulting job usually has all of these intrinsic benefits.
Consultants work on complex projects solving some of their clients’ most difficult problems, which usually require economic understanding, interpersonal skills, and creativity. Since a typical project only runs for a few weeks or months, variety is also given – each problem is different from the previous one and especially the younger consultants are encouraged to work on a variety of tasks, ranging from client interviews and qualitative research to model building and financial analysis. Generally, each project team member contributes to solving the client’s problem, which ensures the work’s significance. And even new hires are expected to work autonomously to some degree, receiving responsibility early on.
Obviously, consulting work also offers benefits distinct from the work itself – triggering extrinsic motivation. The first thing that comes to mind here is the salary: It is no secret that management consultants are well paid. While not important to all consultants, it shows that the long work hours as well as the qualifications required to land the job in the first place are appreciated. Moreover, performance bonuses and salary increases with each stage of the consulting career ladder convey the sentiment that good performance is appropriately and fairly rewarded. Another potential extrinsic motivator is the lifestyle and social standing that comes with the job. Fancy hotels and dinners, social contacts in the business world, and a reputation as a high achiever can tip the scale for some people.
However, all these factors may not be enough for the latest generation of high potentials. Many people today cannot be lured by high salaries and a few luxurious extras, if it means that they have less time for their families and hobbies. The problem is that management consulting generally cannot be done as a nine-to-five job. Clients expect fast results; meanwhile, hiring more consultants to do the same job is not efficient, since much more time has to be spent on knowledge transfer.
The way most bigger consultancies try to tackle this issue is by introducing a variety of flexibility programmes for their employees. For instance, they offer up to two months of unpaid leave per year, secondments or time off for an additional degree, individual part-time arrangements (often in internal functions instead of client projects), and many other flexible work options. Given the project-based nature of consulting work, allowing employees to take breaks in order to raise families, learn, and pursue personal passions, is a viable option. It also helps to recruit or retain talented employees who might otherwise not opt for the consulting lifestyle. Even when you do not actually take advantage of these options, having them available can help to keep you motivated.
As the demand for highly qualified workers grows, firms have to adapt to the changing needs of their employees. It is almost certain though that management consultancies will introduce new programmes and do everything they can to boost motivation in order to guarantee high performance – after all, they depend on it.
Max Kulaga holds a degree in Economics and Management from the University of Oxford and was President of one of Oxford’s largest business societies. The German-born has also completed internships at two top tier strategy consultancies and is keen on sharing his experiences and knowledge about the industry.
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