AI Magazine Issue 10 2018

Acquisition International - Issue 10 2018 67 Turning Paper Plans into People Plans they are experiencing is key to guiding our clients with the best strategic approaches.” Stephanie continues by sharing with us some of the profile of clients a2z has worked with: “Overall, we work with organisations who have a vision for sustainable change—guiding them to manage the change, develop structures and resources required to implement the change and develop the people who will sustain the change.” The firm’s sectors of expertise are in education systems from schools to Ministries of Education; Aboriginal communities; Minority groups; and small to medium businesses. A Good Fit with Our Team is Critical Reflecting on the internal culture at the firm, Stephanie is keen to highlight how each member of the team at a2z strategic consulting plays a significant role in the success of the award-winning company. a2z strategic consulting works with a diverse team of senior consultants. The a2z team embodies the values of customised quality customer service, from a-2-z and are trained to provide them with a customisable bank of strategies and tools in order to guide their clients’ organisations through the change they envision. “Every task is an important one, when managing change, a2z consulting and its consulting team are there to help clients strategically become the best in their field! We believe the consultants that our clients work with are key to the change process for their company, school district, or organisation. We take the time to get to know our clients and to ensure we fit the a2z consultant who has the deepest industry experience and is a good fit with the client’s organisational culture. Some clients need a driven, objectives focused consultant, whereas others prefer a softer approach and more discussion—these elements are not insignificant to our success. We know that change is hard, and if we are in it, side-by-side, for the long run, there has to be a relationship of trust that is established between the selected consultants and the client. The fit must be good.” Each a2z consultant is a leader in their field, from change management, strategic planning, instructional design, curriculum development, special education, management leadership, training, governance, system assessment, financial review, coaching, e-learning, etc. “We fit our consultants to the project need and to the organisational approach.” Industry Challenges Faced by Our Clients When discussing industry-based challenges, Stephanie points to examples of obstacles that are emerging more and more and that she believes may have continued effect in various sectors in the years to come. “Here at a2z strategic consulting, we are seeingmore and more clients faced with rapid industry changes and frequent staff turn-around . The combination of these two changes puts their organisations at risk. Clients feel overwhelmed when key staff leave, often starting over with changes that may not have yet crystallised into their day-to-day practices. We work with our clients to build vision, and to ensure sustainability for that vision through capacity building in their systems and helping them develop in their staff. “As we help clients connect all the dots , we hear from them that changes no longer upheave their organisations, but instead are seen as opportunities to strengthen the vision they have and to rejuvenate the change momentum.” NEW in 2019! Innovative Tools: eLearning and Strategic Planning Software Looking ahead to what the future holds for the firm, Stephanie revealed the exciting plans which are in the pipeline for the winner of the Acquisition Intl.’s Innovative Strategic Planning Management Consultancy 2018 – Quebec . “Based on client demand, a2z strategic consulting is branching out its services in 2019. We are launching two new tools to help clients Build System Capacity and offer Customised Training through two new platforms: a2z Plan and a2z eLearn . “ a2z Plan is a unique online planning tool we are launching in our strategic planning division. Our clients will have a cloud-based tool to help them transform their paper strategic plans into people plans, one click at a time, through a simple-to- use interactive platform. a2z Plan allows clients to bring strategic planning into clients’ day-to-day operations, develop strategic habits so that all their team knows what is expected and when things are due. “In addition, it allows organisation leaders to oversee tasks and report on progress towards goals—a one stop shop tool that brings together strategy, operations, day-to-day tasks and makes monitoring and reporting that are all clearly linked to strategy. “We are also launching a two-part a2z e-Learn Platform . a2z eLearn offers hundreds of courses to help build professional capacity in our clients’ organisations. Clients can customise professional development for each employee, for departments and for their organisation as a whole. All courses are available in an easy to use online platform, paced by the user, and are also available for face-to-face training if that is their preference. “The customisable a2z e-Learn Platform can ALSO be adapted and branded to each client’s organisation. They can purchase the platform with our courses and add their own trainings and courses, making on-boarding of new staff easy and keeping the change momentum going.” Moving forward, a2z strategic consulting understands that each organisation is unique. The custom strategic planning, resource development and training solutions are dynamic, flexible and tailored to fit each of clients’ specific requirements. The a2z team collaborates with clients to determine the ideal solution that best meets the objectives of their organisation’s vision. Stephanie ends our discussion by reminding us all that at a2z strategic consulting, “No task is too small, and we look forward to helping clients connect ALL the dots towards the sustainable change that they envision.”