The Reality of Team Moves In Consulting

The Reality of Team Moves In Consulting

After several articles on Partner Hiring in Consulting (Why Consulting Partner Recruitment Is Unlike Any Other Executive Search, The Partner Profile: What Makes Consulting Leaders Tick, and Should You Grow Consulting Partners Organically or Hire from Outside?) this is turning out to become a mini series on Consulting Partner Hiring, and it's because every ensuing discussion seems to uncover something new that's worth sharing.

In this article I would like to explore the core topic of team moves - something that comes up in almost every Partner search we handle.

When consulting firms tell us they want to hire a Partner, the conversation pretty quickly turns to: "Can they bring their team?" Sounds simple enough, but across the multiple searches we are typically managing, the reality is way more complex than most people think.

Why Teams Matter So Much

Unlike other executive roles where you can gradually build a team, Consulting Partners face immediate pressure to deliver. They've got client obligations, revenue targets, and project deadlines from day one. Partners can’t deliver alone – their effectiveness is fundamentally tied to their team. Without a functioning team, even the most capable Partner will struggle badly.

Without a functioning team, even the most capable Partner will struggle badly.

When moving between firms, Partners face a critical constraint: They need a functioning team to deliver value from day one. This creates a real problem: Do they come alone and hope to get their projects staffed internally, or do they bring key team members? From what we are seeing, the most successful Partner moves involve at least some team transition.

What Makes Team Moves So Tricky

We've learned that team moves are way more complex than individual placements.

• Not Everyone Will Actually Move  This is super important to understand upfront. Maybe 40-60% of a team will actually make the jump. People have different perspectives, needs, comfort levels with risk, family situations, career priorities. The Partner needs to accept this reality from the start and plan around it.

• Integration Gets Way Harder  Integrating one new Partner is challenging enough. Integrating a whole team while keeping their working dynamics intact but also connecting them to the new broader organization? That takes some serious change management skills.

• Timing Is Everything  The sequence really matters. Usually the Partner needs to commit first, then carefully approach key team members. Move too fast and you create chaos; move too slow and people get counter-offers or change their minds.

• Legal Stuff Gets Complicated Fast  Every team member has their own non-compete agreements, different notice periods, and varying personal situations. Trying to coordinate departures without the current firm going nuclear requires really careful planning and timing.

The Four-Phase Reality

From our experience, successful team moves tend to follow a pretty predictable pattern:

• Phase 1: Get the Partner Committed  Get the Lead Partner fully committed before approaching any team members. Seems obvious, but a search process might completely fall apart because teams are approached too early.

• Phase 2: Figure Out the Core Team  Identify 2-3 key people who are both crucial for success and likely to actually move. Not the whole team - just the core that gives you continuity.

• Phase 3: Coordinated Exit  If necessary, plan staggered departures. Everyone resigning at once might trigger much more aggressive responses from current firms.

• Phase 4: Quick Integration Have a clear plan for the first 90 days that keeps team dynamics alive while quickly building broader relationships.

What Often Goes Wrong

Some patterns to look for in failed team moves:

• Overestimating Who'll Actually Move  Partners often think way more of their team will move than actually will. Better to plan conservatively and be pleasantly surprised.

• Underestimating Integration Needs  Teams that move together often need completely different integration approaches than individual hires. They need to keep their cohesion while building new relationships - it's a balancing act.

• Poor Timing Management  Either rushing the process or dragging it out both create problems. There's this narrow window where everything needs to happen, and getting the timing wrong kills deals.

• Not Thinking Through Legal Stuff  Each team member's situation needs individual legal consideration. Trying to use one approach for everyone rarely works.

The Economics Actually Work When Done Right

Despite all the complexity, team moves usually deliver better ROI than individual Partner hires:

• Much faster revenue generation (teams can hit the ground running)

• Way higher retention rates (team members support each other through the transition)

• Better client transition success rates

• Knowledge transfer happens naturally within the team

Differences Across Consulting Segments

What's interesting is that team cohesion may vary a lot across different consulting segments:

• Strategy consulting teams tend to be more fluid

• Implementation and technology consulting teams often have much stronger bonds through year-long projects

• Big Four audit/tax practices typically have the strongest team cohesion over long periods of time

• Specialized boutiques often have really tight team cultures

This totally affects both whether team moves are feasible and how you approach them.

The Partner's Perspective

From the Partner's viewpoint, team transitions also create unique considerations:

• Team loyalty obligations – ethical responsibilities to team members

• Career impact assessment for each team member

• Sequencing and communication challenges

• Long-term relationship preservation regardless of who transitions

Our Main Takeaway

Team moves in consulting aren't just about recruiting multiple people - they're about keeping team dynamics, relationships, and working methods intact while adapting to a completely new environment. You need to understand not just individual motivations but how the group works together.

If you are thinking about Partner hiring, my advice is to consider the team dimension early and be realistic about it. For Partners considering moves, think carefully about which team members are truly essential and actually likely to make the jump.

If you are thinking about Partner hiring, my advice is to consider the team dimension early and be realistic about it.

---

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

• Marion Heil is the founder and managing director of Board+CEO Advisors. She is based in Vienna.