All to often companies hire outside consultants to suggest ways for the company to operate more efficiently If companies were to spend more time listening to their employees such consultants would be unnecessary

Employees are an integral part of any organization. The success of the company and its profitability depend primarily on the productivity of its employees. A company with efficient employees is bound to outperform its counterpart, given all other circumstances are the same. The prompt suggests, companies should listen to their employee to increase the efficiency of the organization rather than hiring a specialist consultant. I believe a mix of the two strategies would be much better for the organization's overall growth for two reasons.

Firstly, to improve any system, who better to ask than the ones responsible for running it. Thus, employees' feedback concerning the various operations of a company is an invaluable resource that any organization can use. For example, in one of the startups, the CEO organized 'Lunch with CEO.' He used to go on lunch with one of the employees. He asked the employee to talk about not just the issues in the company but also in general about their life or any other topic. Doing so resulted in the employees opening up in a way that they didn't before. They began to openly criticize and appreciate the flaws and the good thing in the company and its operation. This exercise solved many smaller issues at an individual level, resulting in much better output at an organizational level. This example demonstrated the need for a company to hear from its employee. They are the first stakeholder of the company and know the issues better than anyone else. Thus taking their input is of utmost importance in any decision-making process.

Though listing to employees is essential, as demonstrated by the above example, it sometimes becomes necessary to take advantage of the expertise of an external consultant. They are specialized in their job and may provide a bird's eye view and point out issues not visible to the existing management. For example, in one refrigerator manufacturing firm, the management decided to introduce a new methodology to manufacture the units. The administration failed to explain how this new tech will benefit the employees. The miscommunication resulted in a widespread rumor that the new technology will replace them. They went on strike, halting the production. The management was unaware of how their miscommunication affected the employee and hired a consultant to solve it. The consultant floated a survey amongst employees and also carried out regular meetings with them. Soon, she found the problem and acted as a liaison between management and the employees to improve the situation. This example demonstrates that sometimes it becomes necessary to employ a consultant to solve the issue. They have the expertise and can give a perspective that the existing management is not capable of giving.

In conclusion, even though the feedback of existing employees is vital for improvements in any organization, sometimes it is necessary to take advantage of specialized consultants to identify and solve the issue at hand. Thus, employee feedback combined with expert advice is the best way for continuous improvements of the organization.