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conomic growth has pushed the business sector to expand at a fast pace to meet the increased demand for goods and services. As a result, the demand for business consulting has also grown. Neneng Goenadi, countrymanaging director of Accenture Indonesia spoke with The Jakarta Post'€™s Mariel Grazella about the consulting business'€™ potential in the country'€™s fast-paced economy. Below is an excerpt from the interview:

Question: Businesses activities here have become very dynamic as the economy strengthens. How has this dynamism affected the demand for consultancy and hence, Accenture'€™s business?

Answer: The accelerated rise of the economy has catalyzed rapid business growth. These companies sought out consulting services to help them handle their expansions. As a result, Accenture'€™s growth here is substantially higher compared to other offices. Last year, we grew far above the country'€™s 6.3 percent gross domestic product (GDP) increase.

What future opportunities does the robust economy spell for consulting firms like Accenture?

We would like to focus on the public sector because a good number of ministries are currently putting effort into implementing bureaucratic reforms. As of now, we continue to serve more than 15 clients under a number of big sectors. These sectors are communication and high technology industries, which include the media as well as service and retail industries such as airliners and also consumer goods manufacturers. Our other two big sectors are the resources industry, under which mining and chemical fall under, and financial services institutions [FSI], which includes banks that have been expanding to small towns and villages.

What services are in demand from clients who are facing business growth?

All companies seek out consulting to improve their business processes and human capital, in addition to carrying out cultural transformations. Yet, the difference among companies lies in the culture of the industry they are in, and this culture affects our approach in dealing with problems or issues. We need a different set of industry knowledge and skills depending on the industry a client is in because the business processes in a bank differs from that of an oil and gas company.

Another point of difference is the stage of business the company is in. In general, multinational companies or those that are part of a global structure are more advanced when compared to other private businesses.

What is the ultimate challenge in bringing change to companies?

The challenge is in making people follow through and accept changes because there are always implications to every transformation, such as cultural shifts when going from manual business processes to computerized methods. Being human, people need to first understand why changes need to occur. They then need to be involved in the changes right from the beginning, instead of jumping when the change process is halfway through. They should also see what is in it for them if they participate in the changes. Thus, changes in business processes require companies to re-train and support their employees to help them become comfortable with the transformations. This all emphasizes the importance of building good lines of communication with all those involved in the business transformation.

What about the challenges faced in the business of consulting?

Accenture has been in Indonesia for more than 45 years so in terms of human resources, we have a large pool of good talent. However, our business is growing at a time when other companies are expanding as well. Thus, we are competing with everyone trying to hire the best people.