Make it two years in a row as one of the Best Small Firms to Work
For for Wayne, Pa.-based Navigate. Actually, make it two years in
a row as the No. 1 Best Small Firm to Work For—quite an accom-
plishment for a firm that had never been on the list before last year.
Dave Crossed, a Partner with the
firm, says the recognition “validates
Navigate’s emphasis on staying true
to our core values and attracting and
retaining highly skilled and moti-
vated professionals who are able
to solve complex business issues,
which in turn allows us to better
serve our clients. Morale is very
high, which is driven largely by each
person’s ability to have a direct im-
pact on the growth and operations of
the business and how we best deliver
outcomes for our clients.”
A key differentiator for the firm,
Crossed says, is from an operating
standpoint, Navigate lacks the more
traditional structure. “Our less siloed
approach creates more opportunities
for our team to work with each other
and be exposed to different indus-
tries and functional areas,” he says.
“As a result, each person can use
their broad set of skills to develop
new areas of expertise.”
In addition, unlike at more tradi-
tional firms where the projects are
very large and only senior level con-
sultants have meaningful access to
the client, the work enables Navigate
employees to have higher visibility
working closely with the clients and
their issues. “We encourage risk
taking and it is very rewarding for
our team members to work alongside
senior executives,” Crossed says.
Crossed says two initiatives, in
particular, have had a great impact
on making Navigate a great place to
work for employees. First is the role
of the Performance Manager, where
instead of reporting to a traditional
boss figure, employees report to an
advocate who is committed to their
growth and success. Second, through
the firm’s Practice Development Committees, everyone shares responsibility
for strengthening the operations of
the business, which goes well beyond
their client-delivery responsibilities.
“We often hear new employees
say they are surprised at how much
their voice matters in making a
difference, or how, at their previous
firm, they did not have the variety of
experiences they had hoped for and
which had initially attracted them to
management consulting,” Crossed
says. “We are focused on continued
growth in a way that ensures greater
opportunities and career advance-
ment for our people. We believe
individual growth goes hand in
hand with business growth.”
HEADQUARTERS: BILLABLE CONSULTANTS: CLIENT INDUSTRIES SERVED:
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE
REMAINDER OF THIS
YEAR AND 2017, WHAT
EXCITES YOU? WHAT
OPPORTUNITIES DO YOU
SEE IN YOUR MARKETS?
CROSSED: “As we look to the
rest of the year, we are excited
about how Navigate’s clients are
relying on us in new and evolving
ways, thinking about us across
our various service areas and
considering the different types of
capabilities we offer to help them
execute their business strategy.
In our particular market here
in Southeastern Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, and Delaware, there
is a great deal of consolidation
underway across the healthcare
industry. Leaders are looking for
highly experienced professionals who they can trust to support
them through consolidations,
organizational realignment initiatives, and the deployment of new
technology.”
Navigate
