This book provides a new perspective on innovation in consultancy firms. Focusing on how consultancy firms can innovate in the modern era, it exposes and discusses key drivers for innovation in the industry. These are broken down into 5 dimensions - or 'Poles' - relating to forms of capital (human capital, social capital, and three types of organizational capital) that consultancy firms can use in order to innovate, both for themselves and for their clients. Readers of this book will not only gain insight into the "innovative consultancy" from the perspective of each of these Poles. They will also discover how consultancy firms need to find the right way of connecting these Poles together in order to produce the desired innovation. Readers will learn about the dangers of misaligning the Poles, as well as implications of innovative consultancy for ethics, academic research in the field of consultancy, and for careers. In addition to the academic literature, the book draws from real-world examples, cases and practice insights from various parts of the world. This book will be of great use to those interested in pursuing a career in the consultancy industry, whether they are undergraduate and postgraduate Business & Management students, students not necessarily studying in Business Schools, or others seeking a career move into consultancy. It will also be valuable to seasoned consultants and managers of consultancy firms seeking new ideas on how to develop innovative capabilities in an increasingly competitive industry.

This title was first published in 2002: The history of management consulting in Britain is a subject that has received little attention in the past in terms of research or publication. This work redresses the gap in the knowledge base of business and management history, presenting the historical situation in the context of management consulting. Identifying the beginnings of consultancy services in the mid-nineteenth century, Ferguson charts its progression through a series of time frames that span the twentieth century. Utilizing a series of consistent themes, such as service delivery forms and training, which can be compared and contrasted across time, the book provides not only a history of management consultancy services, but also shows how the take-up and form of services was heavily dependent upon the prevailing attitudes within business to the role of management. The thoroughly researched and well-presented arguments in this book will greatly add to our knowledge of British management during the twentieth century.

For undergraduate and postgraduate students in management consulting and MBA courses with a consulting module. Gain consulting insights into business decision making in today's environment Business and Management Consulting, 6th Edition, by Wickham and Wilcock, was first published as Management Consulting over 20 years ago to guide students through the consultancy process. This new, renamed edition reflects the way in which the consulting world has changed over the past two decades. New digital technologies have made information more accessible and changed the way businesses operate in today's faster-paced, more volatile environment, so management consultants need to have a wider view of their client company. Management consulting remains a popular career choice but undertaking a consulting project for the first time can seem daunting. This book continues to offer a practical guide to balancing theory and practice, while also giving tips and techniques to the more seasoned practitioner, so it is ideal for anyone who is undertaking a consulting project. This is delivered from the accumulated knowledge and insight of the authors and contributors, who all have been consultants. Pearson, the world's learning company.

Another extraordinary business fable from the New York Times bestselling author Patrick LencioniWritten in the same dynamic style as his previous bestsellers including The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Lencioni illustrates the principles of inspiring client loyalty through a fascinating business fable. He explains the theory of vulnerability in depth and presents concrete steps for putting it to work in any organization. The story follows a small consulting firm, Lighthouse Partners, which often beats out big-name competitors for top clients. One such competitor buys out Lighthouse and learns important lessons about what it means to provide value to its clients. * Offers a key resource for gaining competitive advantage in tough times * Shows why the quality of vulnerability is so important in business * Includes ideas for inspiring customer and client loyalty * Written by the highly successful consultant and business writer Patrick LencioniThis new book in the popular Lencioni series shows what it takes to gain a real and lasting competitive edge.

How To Write Bids That Win Business brings together over 30 years of know-how in creating and crafting successful bids for tendered contracts. This book is an invaluable guide for bid managers and bid writing teams. It shows you how to: - create a bid writing strategy that plays to your organisation's strengths - increase your success rate by focusing on bids you are more likely to win - avoid at the outset bidding for contracts you don't want to win - embed robust bid writing management systems that deliver results time after time - ensure you follow the three golden rules for bid writing success Based on extensive research, How To Write Bids That Win Business explains what bid evaluators are really looking for, by deconstructing the questions asked and explaining how to answer them to achieve top scores. Parts I to III guide you through the complete bid creation process, providing the tips, techniques and tactics for maximising your effectiveness at the shortlister interview. In Part IV the book examines the forces shaping the future of bid writing, and outlines the three key factors for success in the years to come. Co-authors Martyn Curley and Stephen Oldbury, co-founders of Bidwriting.com, have advised many UK business-to-business organisations across 35 commercial sectors. David Molian was for many years Director of Cranfield School of Management's renowned Business Growth Programme and has consulted for numerous companies on developing their brands and growing their businesses. He is a Criticaleye Thought Leader and remains a visiting Fellow at Cranfield. If you are looking to take your organisation's bidding performance to the next level, improving profitability and morale throughout the business, How To Write Bids That Win Business is the book you need.

This important title brings together some of the most influential papers that have contributed to our understanding of management consultancy work. This research review encompasses the breadth of conceptual and empirical perspectives and explores those key ideas that have helped to advance our knowledge of this intriguing area.

What is management consultancy? How has it developed? How does it affect businesses? This book answers these questions and introduces the field for those looking to develop a career as a management consultant. Providing a thorough introduction to management consultancy, Morgen Witzel covers the topic from a range of perspectives including the field's historical development, the client's perspective, business analysis, return on investment, consulting failures, ethics and accountability and the growing importance of sustainability. With exercises and case studies throughout, this practical textbook provides students with a rounded and critical understanding of what it means to be a management consultant and in so doing, will help readers emerge as employable management consultants of the future.

Consultancy and Innovation links two important aspects of European economic development in the past thirty years: the pace of technical and management innovation, and the growing significance of technical and business consultancy. This book includes detailed studies of consultancy activities or 'knowledge intensive services' (KIS) in eight EU countries, written by national experts in the field.

Although there has traditionally been considerable field-level attention on how consultants market their ideas and practices, there is still a lack of research that discusses the earlier intra-organizational phases in the development process. While the present literature provides important insights that enhance our understanding of consulting, the consultancy industry, and the way that consultants present their ideas and services on the market for management solutions, we know relatively little about the way knowledge-based innovations develop within consultancy firms and the mechanisms that shape the intra-organizational evolution of these ideas and practices. This book seeks to address this gap by revealing how the development of new ideas and practices takes shape in consultancies. The work addresses questions such as: In which way do consultancies sense the contemporary market needs? How do new ideas and practices become established within a consultancy? How do consultancies seek to maintain their repertoire? And what role do these new ideas and practices play in their assignments? To provide more insight into these different aspects of knowledge-based innovation in consultancies, the book draws on and integrates literature from diverse relevant fields such as product innovation and market orientation, but also uses institutional and practice-based perspectives. The research presented in this book can be seen in the light of emerging research into 'knowledge-based innovation' and 'new concept development' that concentrate on empirically studying how knowledge entrepreneurs seek to develop commercially viable ideas and practices that have the potential to have a significant impact on management and organizational praxis.

Create a sustainable revenue model that can propel your mission-driven organization into the future Effective Fund Raising: The Trustee's Role and Beyond is the result of author F. Warren McFarlan's two decades of research at Harvard Business School, along with over forty years of active social enterprise board service. This book offers a depth of knowledge and insight that will prove invaluable for trustees, donors, and others related to and responsible for the success of social enterprise. Social enterprise organizations have played a vibrant and important role in the USA for the past century. And yet, the business of fundraising has not become any easier or more elegant. In this book, you will discover how to help raise the financial resources that your organization needs to perform its good deeds. This book focuses on the steps and strategies you need to know to secure funding to fulfill your mission. Development is the lifeblood of most social enterprises, be they large or small. You'll also discover how to harness the energies of the right people to ensure the long-term success of your development efforts. Learn why an effective, sustainable revenue model is critical to the success of even the most exciting mission-driven organization Understand the core elements of the revenue model, including governance, fees, the annual fund, capital fundraising campaigns, planned gifts, and more Develop a strong plan for sustaining your organization's revenue, regardless of organization size Build the skill of asking for money and lead your organization to a revenue and philanthropy orientation Many social enterprise CEOs spend over half of their time on fundraising. Why? Simply put: without a sustainable revenue model, even the most exciting mission-driven organization will collapse. The dirty truth is that, with no fund raising, there is no social enterprise or enduring mission. This book will help you shoulder the burden of fundraising and ensure the long-term success of your venture.

Fuel your business' transition into the digital age with this insightful and comprehensive resource Digital Business Transformation: How Established Companies Sustain Competitive Advantage offers readers a framework for digital business transformation. Written by Nigel Vaz, the acclaimed CEO of Publicis Sapient, a global digital business transformation company, Digital Business Transformation delivers practical advice and approachable strategies to help businesses realize their digital potential. Digital Business Transformation provides readers with examples of the challenges faced by global organizations and the strategies they used to overcome them. The book also includes discussions of: How to decide whether to defend, differentiate, or disrupt your organization to meet digital challenges How to deconstruct decision-making throughout all levels of your organization How to combine strategy, product, experience, engineering, and data to produce digital results Perfect for anyone in a leadership position in a modern organization, particularly those who find themselves responsible for transformation-related decisions, Digital Business Transformation delivers a message that begs to be heard by everyone who hopes to help their organization meet the challenges of a changing world.

This title was first published in 2002. How do you add value to your clients? Is it the process you use, or the technical skills you deploy? Or perhaps it's your ability to adjust the way you sell and deliver your services based upon your tacit understanding of your client's culture - the way we do things round here. Such chameleon-like behaviour is fundamental to successful consulting, and yet it is neither widely understood nor practised within the profession. Until now. This book describes a powerful way to improve the consultancy process, from selling the service to delivering the engagement, through a concept called cultural intelligence - the missing dimension of effective consultancy. By revisiting the consultancy process using a simple model of organizational culture, this text creates a potent technique for tailoring the principal consultancy processes of selling, relationship management, account management and engagement management. Such tailoring that ensures the consultant and consultancy firm can blend into their clients' organizations more effectively and as a result add immediate and lasting value.

Originally published in 1970. Trade associations and consultants in their many varieties are arguably the most important of our economic organisations. The people that manage those organisations are among the most influential members of modern society. The research reported in this book constitutes one of the first attempts to obtain systematic knowledge about the process of helping management. This title will be of interest to students of business, management, and economics, as well as policy-makers concerned with external aids in government, associations, and firms.

This casebook complements the text Management Consulting Today and Tomorrow. The book consists of 20 cases, including those from Harvard and Stanford and the University of Southern California. The cases cover a broad range of topics and practice areas that are pertinent to current management consulting. The six parts parallel the six parts in the text, including an introduction to the cases by the editors, delineating topics and issues that are critical for today's consultants. Several cases offer new insights into the practice areas of Strategy, IT, Operations Management, Change Management and more on Data Gathering and the Future of Consulting. This casebook, together with the text, will help to increase awareness among consultants and students about skill requirements, as well as make clients sensitive to what is demanded of them in a highly competitive consulting environment.

The fast-emerging sustainability consulting firms are nipping at the heels of the established consultancy giants who are scrambling to find their way in the emergent field of sustainability. The upstarts are challenging many of the established notions of how to add value to their clients' operations. By looking at the business world through what the sustainability expert Stuart Hart calls "new sustainability lenses", sustainability consultants are able to make sense of challenges that are baffling their clients. Moreover, they are also beginning to help their clients uncover new and sustainable value streams, the ultimate goal of good consulting practice. In Consulting for Business Sustainability sustainability consultants from around the world offer some of their perspectives and lessons on how to truly create sustainable value for their clients. Packed with new tools, advice and approaches, the book comprises a unique collection of wisdom from some of the leading lights in sustainability consulting practice. The areas covered include: developing best-in-class environmental management systems; sustainable design; supporting organisational change agents; working with key stakeholders; social impact assessments; human rights; and regulatory risk. The book will be essential reading for practitioners in business searching for advice and toolkits on how to make their sustainability initiatives bear fruit, for consultants looking for advice on how others have provided value to clients, and for students of sustainability looking for best-practice examples and exploring future careers in this burgeoning field.

This casebook complements the text Management Consulting Today and Tomorrow. The book consists of 20 cases, including those from Harvard and Stanford and the University of Southern California. The cases cover a broad range of topics and practice areas that are pertinent to current management consulting. The six parts parallel the six parts in the text, including an introduction to the cases by the editors, delineating topics and issues that are critical for todaya (TM)s consultants. Several cases offer new insights into the practice areas of Strategy, IT, Operations Management, Change Management and more on Data Gathering and the Future of Consulting. This casebook, together with the text, will help to increase awareness among consultants and students about skill requirements, as well as make clients sensitive to what is demanded of them in a highly competitive consulting environment.

Consulting for Real People: a client centred approach for leaders and change agents 2/e shows you how to become truly client-centred by empowering your client and supporting them right through to the point where the new behaviour replaces the old. Formerly titled '||'''Client-Centred Consulting: A practical guide for internal advisers and trainers'||''' this highly successful book has been fully updated to reflect advances in the field. The scope of the book has also been expanded to include issues, dilemmas and the operational styles of both internal and external change agents. Other new topics covered include change management issues for leaders, managing large-scale organisational changes, and ways in which change agents can empower themselves and their clients. The book begins with an exploration of all aspects of change management from the perspective of consultant, manager or team leader. It goes on to explore the range of consulting styles available and the structure of the consultant-client relationship. Finally it explains why successful change agents must have a high level of personal power and self-esteem and it explores ways in which these can be acquired.

Consultancy and Innovation links two important aspects of European economic development in the past thirty years: the pace of technical and management innovation, and the growing significance of technical and business consultancy. This book includes detailed studies of consultancy activities or 'knowledge intensive services' (KIS) in eight EU countries, written by national experts in the field.

eBook available with sample pages: 020311664X

This title was first published in 2002. How do you add value to your clients? Is it the process you use, or the technical skills you deploy? Or perhaps it's your ability to adjust the way you sell and deliver your services based upon your tacit understanding of your client's culture - the way we do things round here. Such chameleon-like behaviour is fundamental to successful consulting, and yet it is neither widely understood nor practised within the profession. Until now. This book describes a powerful way to improve the consultancy process, from selling the service to delivering the engagement, through a concept called cultural intelligence - the missing dimension of effective consultancy. By revisiting the consultancy process using a simple model of organizational culture, this text creates a potent technique for tailoring the principal consultancy processes of selling, relationship management, account management and engagement management. Such tailoring that ensures the consultant and consultancy firm can blend into their clients' organizations more effectively and as a result add immediate and lasting value.

The field of management consultancy research has grown rapidly in recent years. Fuelled by the drivers of complexity and uncertainty, a growing number of organizations - both profit and third sector alike - are looking at management consultancy to assist in their aims for development and change. Consultants have become a common feature in organizational change initiatives, involved in both providing advice and in implementing ideas and solutions. However, despite this growing recognition and influence, management consultancy is still often misunderstood or criticized for its lack of theoretical underpinning. The book seeks to address these issues by offering applied theoretical insights from academics that both teach and practice management consultancy. Written by recognized experts in their field, the contributors combine original insights with authoritative analysis. Uniquely, this book identifies emerging themes with critical discourse and provides rich empirical case study evidence to show the reader how management consultancy projects are implemented. Real-world international consultancy projects are featured as written up cases featuring organizations from multi-national corporations to the public sector. Written for graduate level managers or those who have practical leadership experience, this book will enable readers to apply management consultancy models beyond a classroom context

This new edition gathers more than 22 experts to outline the theory behind consulting, providing insight into change processes and management issues in the field. The business of consulting has grown faster than most other businesses, due not only to increased demand by clients, but also to the innovative capabilities of numerous consulting firms as they develop new services. Divided into six parts, the book introduces readers to the consulting industry, addressing the major practice areas, contexts, and implementations of the field. Significant updates detail the effect of the economic troubles between 2004 and 2010 and then 2010 and now; analyze the market response to consulting in recent years; and provide a more thorough understanding of how consulting is applied in the different areas of a business, such as operations, marketing, and finance. Introductions written by the editors offer further insight into the themes and learning goals of each section, helping readers to recognize the elements of a successful consultation, and utilize their new skill set. The text concludes with a look at the future of consulting with regards to ethics standards and how strong manager-client relationships contribute to financial growth. Readers will also learn how the developing field of entrepreneurship creates new economic structures and job opportunities. Practitioners, consultants, clients, faculty, and students of business and management will learn not only how to consult, but also gain the skills needed to adapt to and lead organizational change, giving them a competitive edge when they enter the field.

Developing Organisational Consultancy provides consultants with theoretical and practical advice on how to handle typical consultancy challenges. Well-established organisational consultants from the UK and the USA offer descriptions of problems they have encountered in their work, theoretical and practical approaches that they have found helpful, cases from their actual practice, and advice about how to apply their suggested approach generally. Chapters are grouped together to address three key areas of interest to consultants: * evolving a professional stance * considering psychodynamic approaches * applying organisational theory. For both experienced and newly-practising organiszational and management consultants, this book is a valuable source of reference and the key to developing a more aware and successful practice.

The practical toolbox for readers of Million Dollar Consulting
This useful guide provides specific checklists, guidelines, templates, and actual examples for every step of the consulting process. It covers marketing, sales, meetings, implementation, follow-up, invoicing, practice management, insurance, equipment, subcontracting, and scores of other elements. Thousands of people have bought Weiss's Million Dollar Consulting and started their own consultancy. Now, this handy resource goes hand-in-hand to provide all the tools new consultants need to enact all the recommendations and ideas in Million Dollar Consulting.
Alan Weiss, PhD (East Greenwich, RI), has consulted for hundreds of organizations around the world, including Mercedes-Benz, Hewlett-Packard, Merck, Chase, American Press Institute, and the Times-Mirror Group. He is the author of 12 books, including Getting Started in Consulting (0-471-47969-1) and Organizational Consulting (0-471-26378-8).