D.C.-based consultant Matthew Robinson explains how SEI’s collaborative approach creates a positive company culture — and also enables better solution delivery for clients.
D.C.-based consultant Matthew Robinson is a man of many talents. He held a string of odd jobs before attending grad school at UCONN’s Department of Public Policy, after which he landed a consulting job in D.C. “It was trial by fire,” Matthew explains, as he had never worked in consulting nor IT. Since then, Matthew has done a little bit of everything — he spent five years at a “big four” consultancy, and has worked with smaller firms in both the public and private sectors.
Matthew’s varied experiences positioned him to find success at SEI, a place where he says consultants “bring the full package,” combining technological expertise with a deep understanding of how that technology can be best applied to enable business success. “What we do is not just about unearthing data, or helping clients achieve compliance and implement effective governance” Matthew says. “It’s that and much more; it’s about using that data to help organizations meet their goals through custom-fit strategies and solutions.”
Problem-Solving That Takes a Multifaceted Approach
For Matthew, what really differentiates SEI from other consulting firms is the holistic business approach. At SEI, consultants combine their knowledge of technology with interpersonal talents including people skills and project management. SEI-ers are, to use Matthew’s words, “whole and complete consultants who aren’t just technology nerds but are highly accomplished professionals and versatile team players.”
The diverse and well-rounded skill sets of SEI consultants come together to tackle the full scope of every project. SEI-ers are prepared to provide end-to-end leadership, not only when it comes to executing on key stages from concept to delivery, but in providing ongoing support that extends into the realm of change management and considers long-term business impact.
According to Matthew, clients who choose to partner with SEI know they are getting “the expertise of every SEI consultant across the country, not just one or two.” Through collaborative knowledge sharing and team-based problem-solving, SEI consultants deepen their skills and build expertise — enabling them to drive greater success for clients and the firm alike.
Generating Value for Clients Through Technology Enablement
During his year and a half at SEI, Matthew has been able to utilize his many skills to develop and deploy impactful business solutions. Some of his most rewarding projects thus far have involved using HCD, design thinking, and rapid prototyping techniques to communicate with organizations’ staff members, as well as identifying and documenting major IT processes, risks, and controls of newly implemented platforms.
On a particularly exciting engagement with a medical device client, Matthew guided multiple technology teams through the launch of new customer products. The project involved design thinking, rapid prototyping, and product development, but also sought to ensure that healthcare practitioners, retailers, and consumers would effectively adapt to the new technology. Matthew advised on design choices, new features, and deployment plans. Further, he applied project management skills and change management best practices to create alignment between key stakeholders throughout the entire process. The outcome was a suite of high-performing products designed to optimize user experience and contribute to positive health outcomes.
Matthew is currently helping a large integrated healthcare system undergo a massive technological implementation seeking to modernize HR, finance, and supply chain operations. His role on the change management team centers around communications, but Matthew still relies heavily on his technology expertise. “It’s valuable that I understand what the technology is doing,” he says, “because it enables me to distill important messages down to what people need to know and what matters to them.” Matthew’s ability to translate technology into on-the-ground implications will help healthcare practitioners, warehouse workers, and administrators understand the new technological implementations and why they are essential to the business’s advancement.
The People Make the Place
A key factor to Matthew’s positive experiences at SEI has been the company culture. SEI offers something “truly different” for Matthew — talented consultants who work together and promise one another transparency. “We are truly playing a team sport every day,” Matthew notes.
The camaraderie Matthew has found as SEI contrasts with his previous consulting experience, where consultants largely operated in siloes. At SEI, however, “consultants can collaborate while still maintaining a sense of autonomy,” he says. He feels empowered to forge his own path and pursue what interests him, while working alongside people he truly cares about.
SEI’s cultural approach to teamwork can be attributed to the firm’s employee ownership model and flat management structure, which bring an entrepreneurial mindset to SEI and encourage consultants to make bold decisions while still fostering a collaborative environment. “I have never felt this supported and close to my teammates,” Matthew says.
“We’re All In This Together”
At SEI, Matthew has learned how to rely on his colleagues as well as himself. “Trusting the people I work with is incredibly important to me,” Matthew says, “and supporting my teammates contributes to my career and how I feel at the end of the workday.” This communal trust empowers Matthew and other SEI consultants to rely on each other for help and work in tandem to solve problems.
SEI-ers build more than just business solutions together — they form bonds and friendships, resulting in a work climate that is as supportive as it is fun. Matthew’s favorite SEI memories are of attending staff meetings where he was “encouraged to participate even as a brand new team member,” he remembers. “I bonded with my teammates and felt welcomed immediately,” Matthew recalls. “And it was fun!,” he adds.
At SEI, fostering friendships goes hand-in-hand with delivering top-quality solutions to complex problems. “We’re all in this together,” Matthew says. “Above all else, SEI is building and growing a business together. It’s unlike anything else I’ve experienced.”
