Enterprise external brain service consulting is a common business model, which can bring many values to enterprises, such as providing new perspectives and ideas, enhancing decision support and execution, promoting organizational change and learning ability. However, not all external brain service consulting can achieve the desired results, and sometimes even cause waste of resources and crisis of trust. So, how can we make the enterprise external brain service consultation more effective? This paper believes that we need to start from the following three core elements:

1. clearly and accurately identify and express consulting needs

Consulting demand refers to the reasons and goals for enterprises to seek external help, which is the starting point and guidance of enterprise external brain service consulting. Clear and accurate identification and expression of consulting needs is the basis for ensuring the effectiveness of consulting. If the consulting needs are not clear or true, it will lead to inconsistent consulting objectives, uncertain consulting scope, and mismatch of consulting content, which will affect the quality and efficiency of consulting.

Therefore, before seeking external help, enterprises should fully analyze and diagnose their own problems and challenges, identify the root causes and key influencing factors, and translate them into specific, quantifiable and actionable consulting needs. At the same time, the company should also fully communicate and negotiate with potential consulting agencies or individuals to ensure that both parties have a common understanding and recognition of consulting needs, and clearly record them in the contract or agreement.

For example, a manufacturing enterprise is faced with the problems of fierce market competition, lack of product innovation and low customer satisfaction. After internal analysis, it is determined that the main reasons for seeking external help are too rigid organizational structure, too complex process, poor communication and cooperation, etc. Therefore, the enterprise and Shangpu Consulting Company signed a consulting contract with organizational optimization as the main goal, which clarified the scope, content, method, standard, time, cost and other details of the consulting, laying a good foundation for the follow-up consulting work.

2. the development and delivery of practical and feasible advisory programmes

Consulting scheme refers to the methods and steps proposed by consulting institutions or individuals to solve problems or achieve goals according to the consulting needs of enterprises. It is the core and soul of enterprise external brain service consulting. The key to ensure the effectiveness of the consultation is to develop and provide a realistic and feasible consultation plan. If the consulting plan does not conform to the actual situation of the enterprise or is not feasible, it will lead to problems such as the failure to implement the consulting recommendations, the failure to implement the consulting results, and the failure to reflect the consulting value, thus affecting the credibility and influence of the consulting.

Therefore, before proposing the consulting plan, the consulting organization or individual should conduct in-depth research and analysis on the internal and external environment of the enterprise, understand the history, culture, strategy, organization, process, personnel, finance and other aspects of the enterprise, find out the advantages, disadvantages, opportunities and threats of the enterprise, and have full communication and feedback with the decision makers and key stakeholders of the enterprise. At the same time, consulting institutions or individuals should also combine their own professional knowledge and experience, as well as industry best practices and cases, to develop a consulting program that is both theoretical and practical, both innovative and feasible, and present it clearly in the report or demonstration.

For example, when providing organizational optimization solutions for the above-mentioned manufacturing enterprises, Shangpu Consulting Company adopted a variety of data collection and analysis methods, such as interviews, questionnaires, observations, document analysis, etc., to comprehensively evaluate the organizational structure, process design, job setting, responsibility allocation, performance appraisal and other aspects of the enterprise, and conducted several rounds of communication and discussion with senior and middle managers of the enterprise. Finally, Shangpu Consulting Company put forward a set of optimization scheme based on matrix organizational structure model, including specific measures such as adjusting organizational hierarchy and department division, simplifying process and standard, clarifying post and responsibility requirements, motivating employees and cultivating abilities, and showing the theoretical basis and implementation effect of the scheme through charts, data and cases.

3. and effectively promote and support consultation implementation and follow-up

Consulting implementation refers to the transformation of consulting programs into concrete actions and results, which is the end point and test of consulting services outside the enterprise. Effectively promoting and supporting the implementation and follow-up of the consultation is the guarantee to ensure the effectiveness of the consultation. If the implementation of consultation is not effectively promoted and supported, it will lead to the delay or change of consultation plan, insufficient or waste of consultation resources, ineffective or excessive supervision of consultation, etc., thus affecting the continuity and stability of consultation.

Therefore, before consulting implementation, both parties should establish an effective collaboration mechanism, clarify their respective roles and responsibilities, allocate reasonable resources and time, formulate feasible plans and goals, and establish effective communication and feedback channels. At the same time, both parties should also conduct regular supervision and evaluation according to the progress and situation of the consultation implementation, find and solve problems in time, adjust and optimize the plan, and ensure the smooth and efficient implementation of the consultation.

For example, in organizing and optimizing the implementation of the above-mentioned manufacturing enterprises, Shangpu Consulting has set up a project team composed of representatives of both parties with the enterprise to coordinate and implement the consulting work. In accordance with the requirements of the consulting program, the project team has formulated a detailed implementation plan and timetable, and set specific milestones and indicators. The project team will meet once a week to report on the progress of the work and the problems encountered, and make adjustments according to the feedback and suggestions of the enterprise. The project team also regularly reports the consulting results and effects to the senior management of the enterprise, and solicits their opinions and support.

In short, enterprise external brain service consulting is a valuable but challenging business model, which requires the joint efforts and cooperation of both parties to achieve the best results. Based on the three core elements of consulting needs, consulting solutions and consulting implementation, this paper analyzes how to improve the effect of enterprise external brain service consulting, and explains it with the actual case of Shangpu Consulting Company. It is hoped that this paper can be helpful to the development and application of enterprise external brain service consultation.