CMC-Global Conference 2017 - Recap from Astana

The 5th International CMC Conference (Bridging Minds: Knowledge / Experience / Technology: transfer, adaptation & application) was held in Astana, Kazakhstan this month. This year is also the 30^th anniversary of CMC-Global (ICMCI) which held its Annual meeting of Delegates in advance of the Conference.

The presentations from the conference can be downloaded here, and the annual meeting documentation is now available.

Here are some of the informal highlights from the sessions:

Annual meeting of Delegates:

• Work is under way on providing toolkits to IMCs for the ISO 20700 standard. The CMC certification process qualifies CMCs to work to these guidelines. This can be a real benefit to CMCs who, with minimal training on the standard, will be able to assure compliance.
• CMC-Firm is soon to be launched. Agreements are in place with Netherlands and Ireland to begin the migration of ACPs that would like to also have this standing. It will provide a network of firms that all adhere to the CMC standards of ethics and competence.
• CMC-Global registry, where consultants interested in global collaboration can register to network and share practices will be launched in early 2018.
• The implementation approach for the CMC-Global policy on CMC recertification was reviewed and adopted.
• The CMC-Global treasurer’s report was received an approved. For the first time, CMC-Global has audited statements, prepared this year by PwC. CMC-Global is in sound fiscal shape as a result of the new Member Fee structure approved in Toronto.
• The 2017-19 budget was approved. The 2017-18 portion, approved in Toronto, reflect the second, smaller step in member Fee increases. The 2018-19 portion presented a 0% increase over 2017-18. It is expected that the return on investment in strategic initiatives will pick up any increased funding requirements by that point in time.
• A significant amount of time was spent on discussing the value-added activities of the Secretariat. This included discussions for a deeper understanding of the current products and services and how IMCs can leverage them. It also focused on a call to action for IMCs to take advantage of the products and services, as it is the IMCs that have the contact with management consultants and firms in their territories. These discussions were carried out in frank and collaborative ways with very good results.

5th International CMC Conference:

• The conference was well attended with representations from 31 countries. The majority of delegates were from Asia due to the geography of Kazakhstan, and as a result simultaneous translation was available in Russian and Chinese.
• After greetings from various officials, we heard from a panel discussing how consultants can “bridge minds”. I was pleased to present on the culture of accountability, pointing out how some concepts in management consulting cross over cultural and geographic distinctions. It is up to the management consultant to adapt these best practices to the country, to the culture and to the client. Francesco d’Aprile outlined how a management consultant can communicate across cultures with an excellent Italy-China case study.
• Day 1 closed with two very informative sessions from EBRD on the art of thought leadership, and how to adapt to the digital transformation that defines modern business environment.
• On the evening between the two days of the conference, a gala dinner was held to celebrate the Constantinus Awards. This year, the grand prize was awarded to Japan, and several silver finishes and national country awards were presented.
• Day 2 began with two rounds of concurrent sessions to provide delegates with lots of opportunity for a specialized experience. In all six sessions took place:
  • the effectiveness of continuing professional development
  • transformation to modern silk road
  • transformation for greener businesses
  • transformation for business efficiency
  • transformation for business productivity
  • sharing international studies and experience
• The conference closed with a Knowledge Café where the delegates were able to feed back the learning and next steps for bridging minds. As the facilitator for this session, I was delighted to hear the theme of collaboration: consultant to consultant, IMC to IMC and coordinated by CMC-Global.
• On the evening of the second day, we were treated to a special Kazakhstan banquet to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of CMC-Global (ICMCI).

In combination, these four days provide a true Masters Level class for management consultants. In addition to this open sharing of information, the ability to mingle with colleagues from around the world and to share experiences with them is amazing. Join us next year at the 2018 Annual Meeting of Delegates & CMC International Conference to be held in Milan between 16 and 19 October. Check out the video below: