Read this article about IBM, one of our finalists, in the category Best Achievement in Operational Excellence to deliver Business Transformation, selected by the independent judging panel, for the 2019 Business Transformation & Operational Excellence Industry Awards program. Click here to read articles on other finalists.

The consulting industry is ever changing with our clients' industry developments and new technology. IBM strives to be at the forefront of managing these changes. In 2013, IBM's Transformational Leadership Development Program (TLDP) was founded. TLDP’s purpose is to provide consultants with background in both industry and technology that serve as change and process management experts. The added benefit is twice the business impact at half the cost. This is a result of the selective nature of the program, hiring only top performing talent at IBM. The key differentiator of TLDP versus other consulting units is a focus on industry knowledge in relation to technology and growth areas (RPA, Watson, Security, etc.). With this detailed knowledge, we can bridge the gap between clients that are struggling to keep up with new technology demands. We've all heard the phrase "Jack of all trades, master of none". This phrase is often associated with consulting; TLDP is changing this association. Once consultants graduate from the program, they are considered “Masters in Business Transformation” by both clients and IBM.

TLDP is a competitive program within the consulting industry that encourages practitioners to challenge themselves through rotations of demanding projects, a stimulating education curriculum, and a focus on in-depth knowledge of an industry of their choosing. They must prove to leadership that they possess the skills necessary to quickly learn and adapt not only to the technological aspects of the job, which is IBM’s overall focus, but that they are willing to take copious amounts of time outside of their core responsibilities to learn the principles of a specific industry. Once mastering those fundamentals, they must commit to rotations within that industry as well as remaining up-to-date on relevant industry changes. It is during these rotations that TLDP consultants implement process engineering and change management principles to bridge the gap between industry and technology.

In addition to the strict requirements of the program, practitioners must also contribute to the program through “giveback”. TLDP is a self-sustaining program, meaning the consultants working within the group are the ones running the show. Because of the self-sustaining model, TLDP provides $0 in additional overhead to IBM. This allows IBM to offer clients practitioners with professional certifications, industry knowledge, and formal management consulting experience for an extremely low cost rate. This is something that other key player management consulting firms have yet to master.

IBM employs over 375,000 employees. TLDP accounts for about 90 employees globally. Though we are a small percentage of IBM overall, we are active within more than ten industries. Our practitioners hold more than twelve unique degrees and certifications in various aspects of technology, industry, and management consulting services.