Microslices: The Death Of Consulting And What It Means For Executives

by John M. Dillard

THE WAY EXECUTIVES USE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES IS DYING. Are you ready to get the most out of what comes next? The longstanding business model of professional services is facing change unlike any other in its century-long history. Over the next 15 years, unrelenting advances in technology, data science, and corporate culture will fundamentally disrupt your “trusted advisors.” Exciting opportunities lie ahead for forward-thinking organizations, while disastrous threats await any buyer that’s unprepared to adopt a new service delivery model. MICROSLICES is a timely, eye-opening look at the changes that are already revolutionizing the professional services industry. It provides specific steps you must take as a buyer of those services to protect your organization from wasted consulting fees, outdated advice, and generic solutions. Consulting is dying. Your top adversaries will react to the future; will you? “Microslices is a great dive into understanding exactly why the boom in data sciences will completely change the way you use professional services. It’s, quite simply, a must-read.” Keith Ferrazzi author of Never Eat Alone and the #1 NY Times bestseller Who’s Got Your Back “The book provides an excellent view into the future for everyone that provides or utilizes professional services. It predicts the changes coming to the industry and how to embrace the changes in order to increase productivity and profitability.” Major General Steven W. Smith (Ret.) CEO of S.W. Smith & Associates For more information about Big Sky, visit www.bigskyassociates.com.

250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 13, 2015

Reviews

[Ronald J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Microslices is the inevitable future business model for professional services. It's the accelerating, specialization, compression, and automation of consulting activities, according to the author. There are many things I liked about this book: his model is inspired by Clayton Christensen; he bashes hourly billing and is a proponent of fixed prices and value pricing (though never mentions it's based on the labor theory of value); he sees a shift away from David Maister's 'trusted advisor' model to one focused on results (I'd say outcomes, or even better, transformations); believes data science is a mindset, not a tool, and it still requires insight; he's an optimist with respect to jobs and AI, and admits we don't know the future, even if he's a "futurist." As George Gilder points us, innovation and creativity always take us by surprise, otherwise we wouldn't need it and socialism would work. He created a ROWE (Result-Only Work Environment) in his consulting firm, Big Sky; he believes in sharing risk in pricing; admits greatness isn't for everyone, so if you want to continue to buy labor hours, inputs, and efforts go for it!

I liked his Millennial Attitude, not so much the year you were born, but the attitude, comprised of three traits: trust shifts from people to technology (though this can be taken way too far at times); insistence of results rather than activity; and bias for frequent experimentation rather than long-term loyalty. There's also some interesting discussion on government procurement and contracting, and why that system is broken and costs taxpayers too much money. His firm spent 6 years to get government contracts on fixed prices rather than cost-plus or hourly. I wish he would have provided more details.

Now for the disagreements: the book seems, at times, to be a repetitive commercial for his consulting firm founded in 2006, Big Sky. This is quite annoying. Though the book was written for buyers of professional services, the author believes they are required to change the business model of firms. But buyers don't change business models! Sellers do. The innovation happens on the supply-side, not the demand side. Customers don't innovate, they iterate. He even writes this later in the book: "Not in your best interest to try to become an expert in designing networked delivery models." No customer came up with Airbnb, Google, the iPhone, etc. The action is on the supply-side. It's also a bit absurd to label micro slices as the "dominant business model" for professional firms. Capitalism can handle a variety and myriad of business model, and capitalism is the very essence of an "anti-fragile" system, from Taleb's book, which the author cites. The billable hour is not 20 years old, as the author writes. It's more like 100, and it's based on the older labor theory of value.

I also believes brands are still important, and not everything is being commoditized. The author also suffers from measurement mania, which can contradict systems thinking and put efficiency ahead of effectiveness. I did enjoy the Yoi case study.

If you work in a professional firm, you'll probably get more out of this book than a buyer of professional services would. It will challenge your business model, but it won't provide much detail. For that, see my book: Implementing Value Pricing: A Radical Business Model for Professional Firms.

[Tom Hood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for anyone in professional services industry

I have seen the future and it is about micro-slicing. Practical future view of professional services in light of the hard trends of technology we are facing in professional services.