Why most transformation consultancies create dependency, and what good capability transfer actually looks like in practice.
Most transformation consultancies have a dirty secret: they're incentivized to create dependency, not capability.
The longer you need them, the more they earn. The more complex they make things, the harder it is for you to continue without them. The more they position themselves as experts, the less confidence your team has to do it themselves.
This isn't a conspiracy. It's just bad incentive design.
Here's how it typically works:
Month 1-3: Consultants arrive, impress leadership with frameworks and methodology, and take control of the programme.
Month 4-9: They deliver work, create documents, run workshops. Your team attends but doesn't lead. The consultants are brilliant. Everyone's impressed.
Month 10-12: Programme completes. Consultants hand over beautifully formatted documents. They present at the exit meeting. Everyone thanks them.
Month 13: You try to use what they left behind. The documents don't make sense without them explaining. The framework doesn't fit your context. Your team doesn't know how to apply it.
Month 14: You call them back.
They're counting on it.
Real capability transfer isn't a handover activity. It's not training at the end. It's not documentation.
It's how you work from the first day to the last.
From the very first workshop, ask yourself:
Better approach:
Capability transfer happens in the everyday work:
Red flag: If clients are still observers in Month 6, capability isn't transferring.
When consultants leave, you should be able to answer yes to all of these:
✅ Can your team run the next workshop without us? ✅ Can they use the tools and templates independently? ✅ Do they understand the thinking behind decisions, not just what was decided? ✅ Have they practiced the skills with coaching, not just been trained? ✅ Do they feel confident, not anxious, about continuing?
If any answer is no, capability hasn't transferred. You've outsourced work, not built strength.
Here's the truth: good capability transfer is commercially bad for most consultancies.
If we successfully transfer capability:
Traditional consulting models penalize capability transfer. The business model depends on you needing them again.
That's why most consultancies don't really do it, despite claiming to.
We've designed our model differently:
1. Measure success by your independence
Our KPIs aren't hours sold or programmes extended. They're:
2. Scale down as capability grows
Typical consultancy: Same team size throughout.
Us: Start with 4, scale to 2, then 1, then 0. Each reduction marks capability transferred.
3. Price for outcome, not time
We get paid for building your capability, not for hours worked. If you're independent faster, we celebrate that.
4. Make dependency commercially painful for us
If clients need us for the next programme, we've failed our own success criteria. That's a commercial penalty in our model, not a win.
Want to know if a consultancy actually transfers capability?
Ask them these questions in the sales process:
"What happens if we don't need you for the next transformation?" Good answer: "That means we succeeded." Bad answer: "We'd love to support you on that too."
"How do you measure capability transfer?" Good answer: Specific metrics, measurement approach, examples. Bad answer: Vague claims about "knowledge sharing" and "training."
"Can we talk to a client who ran their next programme without you?" Good answer: "Yes, here are three references." Bad answer: Silence or deflection.
If you're buying transformation consultancy:
Don't accept: "We'll hand over at the end." Demand: "Capability transfer from day one, measured and tracked."
Don't accept: Consultants who do, clients who watch. Demand: Paired delivery and progressive handover.
Don't accept: Beautifully formatted deliverables. Demand: Reusable tools your team can use independently.
Don't accept: Training at handover. Demand: Coaching throughout, with your team practicing under supervision.
Here's the simplest test of whether capability is transferring:
At any point in the programme, could the consultant disappear tomorrow and you'd be uncomfortable but could continue?
If the answer is no, you're buying work, not building capability.
If the answer is yes, capability is transferring.
We leave you stronger than we found you. That's not marketing. It's our commercial model.
If you want consultants who make you dependent, hire any of our competitors.
If you want to build capability that outlasts the engagement, let's talk.
Related reading:
Want to explore how these ideas apply to your organization? Let's talk.
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