Integration: The Glue Between Solutions and Mission Results
According to a study on success factors in the client-consulting relationship, only 36% of internal employees involved in the study felt consultants customized their solutions to suit client organizations. Because integration involves mission focus, stakeholder collaboration, emphasis of the customer experience, and visualization of the real-world operations, it addresses this challenge.
Effectively integrating solutions leads to a higher chance for greater returns on investment and strategic success. Benefits include:
Improved collaboration across diverse work groups with different priorities
Increased efficiencies and cohesion across project tasks
Improved long-term program performance and solution impact
Higher employee acceptance of new solutions
Integration is the differentiator between solutions that thrive and those that fail. We take pride in maintaining a human-centered approach that allows us to smoothly integrate our solutions and drive faster, longer-lasting mission results.
About Arc Aspicio
Arc Aspicio enhances the future of our nation by creating bold ideas and bringing them to life. A consulting and solutions company, Arc Aspicio solves problems by applying our integrated capabilities in strategy, design, data, human capital, behavioral science, and technology. The company passionately pursues our vision to be the hub of creativity where people take action to change the world. To do this, employees collaborate with clients and partners to create solutions using a human-centered approach. Innovation is not possible without action. The company focuses on strategy first, then takes a hands-on approach implementing ideas to achieve results. Join Arc Aspicio and our Strategy Innovation Lab (SILab) by creating and sharing ideas to inspire people to change the world. Follow us on Twitter @ArcAspicio @SILabDC and learn more at www.arcaspicio.com.
When solving a problem for a Government or commercial client, consulting tends to focus on solutions. However, consultants do not spend enough time solving the problem—i.e., diagnosing the root causes of the problem and thinking about what it takes to get a solution fully operational. Will there be resistance to change? What are the risks? What are the unintended consequences of solving only one part of a problem? Consultants need to focus on results and overcoming all barriers and risks that prevent an innovative idea from coming to life.
Integration is the discipline of planning and taking action to integrate people, policy, processes, and technology into a client’s organization to achieve mission results, and it is key to producing results. This discipline requires an innovation mindset, an orientation towards action, collaboration, and a focus on understanding the perspective of all stakeholders.
Arc Aspicio recently did a process project to help employees find answers to their questions about human resources and time and expense tracking. The team envisioned and designed a one-stop-shop hub to answer these questions based on an analysis of all frequently asked questions. However, they did not create a change management plan that would prepare employees to use the hub and would communicate its value, so we are practicing integration for our own internal functions now.
Integration requires a holistic, human-centered approach that builds consensus around customized solutions. In other words, it focuses on the client’s people, environment, and mission. Without this holistic approach, even the best ideas and teams may struggle to produce quantifiable results due to a lack of buy-in and support from stakeholders. When our team focuses on the mission, integration becomes a natural part of our work.
