Case Competition Perspectives
|
Alice Kwan is a Principal in Deloitte Consulting LLP's Human Capital practice and is the U.S. leader for client talent services. She has more than 18 years of experience leading clients through large-scale transformations with a focus on organizational, cultural, change management and talent implications. Her areas of specialty include organizational transformation, leadership alignment, program management, business process redesign, mergers and acquisitions, change management and talent management. Alice has provided consulting services to global organizations in various industries with a focus on pharmaceutical organizations. |
 |
My interest in serving as a judge
First and foremost, this competition is a key component of our recruiting effort for graduate students and our overall talent strategy. Through this competition, I am able to interact with numerous potential candidates. I draw energy from the new thoughts and ideas that they bring, and from the diversity of thought that is present in the room. From the Deloitte side, this is a great opportunity to show what our culture is like and to reconnect with practitioners from across the nation to build the practice together.
The case competition vs. real client projects
Client projects cover a range of activities and issues. The case competition is very similar to projects where we are engaged upfront to deliver change or transformation. Participants must understand the business issues, the sector, the culture, and the changes that the company has gone through. They must then pull in different parts of the organization to help solve the problem, exactly like a real client project. Teams pull together the information and research in a cohesive presentation, which is very similar to the orals that Deloitte practitioners present to clients.
Traits of a successful team
Successful teams are composed of great team players. At Deloitte, we hire natural leaders who have done amazing things in school, careers, and life. However, leaders must know the balance between leading and following. A true team player is one who is able to play both roles well and excel in either role. Teams that are composed of people with different backgrounds and different disciplines foster a diversity of thought that contributes to innovation and creativity. Additionally, teams that have high energy are able to build off each other and have fun together. Teams spend a lot of time together and should enjoy the experience of working together.
My favorite part of the competition
I loved seeing the final presentation and how things came together in such a short amount of time. Each team took a different approach and collaborated in various ways to present the final product. Watching the final presentations was energizing and exciting. I also really enjoyed judging the presentations and comparing the positive aspects of each.
