5) Systems Evolution, Inc.
Systems Evolution, Inc. was ranked No. 14 on our Best Small Firms to Work For list in 2011. This year, SEI skyrockets all the way up to No. 5. Rob Seichter, Chief Operating Officer, says that morale has always been high at SEI, even in difficult economic conditions, something he would attribute to the firm's operating model and disciplined approach to growth.
"Our commitment to steady, predictable growth has allowed us to avoid the radical fluctuations in headcount that most firms endure as a natural course of business," Seichter says. "As owners of the business, our consultants feel a sense of security and stability that leads to long-term employee relationships. Our retention rates and number of employee referrals are a testament to that."
To that end, Seichter says that talent management is, without a doubt, his top priority right now. "Our focus on disciplined hiring is one of our strongest competitive advantages," Seichter says. "The challenge is finding the right people who can thrive in our environment. Over the next 12 months, we will focus on building an efficient and scalable talent management capability that achieves the proper balance of talent acquisition, talent development and talent retention."
Seichter says that the firm is extremely selective in hiring from both a skills and cultural standpoint and that makes it difficult to keep up with client demand. "Most firms forecast growth based on sales," he says. "We forecast growth based on our ability to recruit."
But it will also be based on SEI's unusual delivery model, which Seichter also credits for the firm's success. SEI's delivery model is based on engaging senior-level consultants in key leadership positions to provide project, process and technical leadership for client engagements, he says.
"Unlike the traditional consulting model consisting of large teams, SEI deploys individual consultants, or small teams, who leverage the combined experience and intellectual capital of our entire organization," he says. "We've been able to establish some great new client relationships and our utilization levels have been strong. We have great momentum heading into the second half of 2012 and beyond."
Q&A: On this year's survey, SEI excelled in the areas of Work/Life Balance and Leadership. Why is that?
Rob Seichter, Chief Operating Officer, says: "We consider work/life balance a responsibility, not a benefit. Our consultants manage their own schedules and aren't required to get approval to achieve that balance. Also, we have a local market focus that keeps our consultants from living a road warrior lifestyle. We like to say that we hire adults, treat them like adults and expect them to act like adults. When you put the responsibility of work/life balance entirely in the hands of your consultants, it's amazing how easy it is to manage.
Meanwhile, we have always promoted the concept of servant leadership. Our management team functions as chief obstacle removers in an effort to unleash the value of a premium workforce.
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