Volume One in this series focuses on current trends in the management consulting industry. It is divided into three sections: (1) a look at some of the broad changes taking place in the management consulting industry, (2) an examination of recent trends and techniques in the practice of management consulting, and (3) reflections on the current state of affairs in the industry. As this brief overview has hopefully captured, the first volume in this series provides ample insight into and differing perspectives on the multi-faceted world of management consulting. Thanks are due to all the authors for their thoughtful work, good-natured colleagueship, and willingness to contribute their thoughts and insights about the consulting field. This volume would not have been possible without their efforts.
The ninth volume in the Research in Management Consulting (RMC) series—much like the volumes that preceded it—underscores that management consulting is a multifaceted field with a truly eclectic nature. Management consultants range from sole practitioners and those working in small boutique firms to members of global consultancies that literally span the world. Their interventions can consist of relatively simple, commonly available services focused on mid- to lower level organizational members, to those that are far more esoteric in nature, providing vital assistance and direction to key players at the upper echelons of the corporate hierarchy. As consultants we can have individuals, groups and work units, or organizations as our “client,” and engagements can be dominated by junior-level specialists or guided by senior-level gurus and advisors. The volume contains 11 chapters that continue the RMC series’ commitment to enhancing our understanding of and insight into management consulting and the consulting process from a cross-cultural, global perspective. The book is divided into three sections that explore emerging issues and challenges in the management consulting industry, trends and techniques in management consulting interventions, and reflections on consulting and the consulting process. This volume, which captures the dual nature—possibilities and challenges — associated with management consulting, adds to the Janus-faced portrayal of the field. Drawing on the interplay between practice and scholarship, the volume adds to the series goal of gaining a fuller understanding of management consulting theory in practice and practice in context in a quest for actionable knowledge about consultants, consultancies and the consulting process.
This book brings together cutting-edge research on consulting in a single volume, thus helping to make the state-of-the-art in the field of consulting research more accessible, to promote better practices in business, and to spark further research. The respective articles approach consulting from very different angles, taking into account various approaches for and fields of consulting, consulting providers, clients and markets, as well as technologies and trends. The book will benefit all consultants who want to critically reflect on their own methods and approaches in light of recent scientific findings. It also offers a helpful guide for students in Management and IT-related courses who are either considering a career in consulting or want to be informed consulting clients. Lastly, the book provides a comprehensive review of current developments and trends in consulting that will foster future contributions in this important research field.
“Shows how humans have brought us to the brink and how humanity can find solutions. I urge people to read with humility and the daring to act.” —Harpal Singh, former Chair, Save the Children, India, and former Vice Chair, Save the Children International In conversations with people all over the world, from government officials and business leaders to taxi drivers and schoolteachers, Blair Sheppard, global leader for strategy and leadership at PwC, discovered they all had surprisingly similar concerns. In this prescient and pragmatic book, he and his team sum up these concerns in what they call the ADAPT framework: Asymmetry of wealth; Disruption wrought by the unexpected and often problematic consequences of technology; Age disparities--stresses caused by very young or very old populations in developed and emerging countries; Polarization as a symptom of the breakdown in global and national consensus; and loss of Trust in the institutions that underpin and stabilize society. These concerns are in turn precipitating four crises: a crisis of prosperity, a crisis of technology, a crisis of institutional legitimacy, and a crisis of leadership. Sheppard and his team analyze the complex roots of these crises--but they also offer solutions, albeit often seemingly counterintuitive ones. For example, in an era of globalization, we need to place a much greater emphasis on developing self-sustaining local economies. And as technology permeates our lives, we need computer scientists and engineers conversant with sociology and psychology and poets who can code. The authors argue persuasively that we have only a decade to make headway on these problems. But if we tackle them now, thoughtfully, imaginatively, creatively, and energetically, in ten years we could be looking at a dawn instead of darkness.
Management consultants are typically seen as key mediators in the flow of management ideas. And yet little is known about exactly what happens when they work together with clients, behind closed doors in consulting projects. Do they really innovate or simply legitimate existing knowledge? This book presents research from a three year long 'fly-on-the-wall study' of consulting projects and challenges our taken for granted view of consultancy. It draws on and integrates theories of knowledge and social boundaries to reveal a picture of complex and shifting insider-outsider relationships. Here, the outsider or expert status of consultants in relation to their clients cannot be assumed in their day-to-day project interactions. Different actors, roles, and types of knowledge are involved in an interactive and dynamic process where various boundaries are constructed, reinforced, negotiated and transformed. The chapters selectively explore these dynamics, revealing the importance of boundary complexity, the role of humour and challenge in often tense relationships, and the importance of shared knowledge domains such as sector knowledge. This in-depth analysis of inter-organizational project teams also covers a wide range of consultancy contexts, drawing on cases studies which include: * a US-based strategy firm and a multinational client, * the public and private sectors, * a sole practitioner consultant, * IT implementation in financial services. The book is important for all those with an interest in management consultancy, project working and management knowledge as well as in innovation/change, inter-organisational relations, boundaries and professional services. The authors include some of the leading research experts on management consultancy as well as a former management consultant and current expert in management learning.
Business consulting, knowledge absorptive capacity, and innovativeness: A triangular model for micro and small enterprises in Poland Abstract PURPOSE: This paper proposes a triangular relationship between business consulting, knowledge absorptive capacity, and innovativeness. The role of knowledge absorptive capacity in stimulating the impact of business consulting on innovativeness is studied. METHODOLOGY: An empirical study is conducted using the CATI method, and it is based on data concerning 382 Polish micro and small enterprises. Qualitative variables reflecting using business consulting, knowledge absorptive capacity and innovativeness are defined. The multivariate discrete choice model taking into account relationships among these constructs, is proposed and its parameters are estimated. FINDINGS: The results of the empirical research indicate that business consulting in Poland and similar countries may help firms implement innovative solutions. Knowledge absorptive capacity stimulates innovativeness and has a positive impact on the relationship between using business consulting and improvement in innovativeness. Though the frequency of using business consulting is an important factor in improving innovativeness, cooperation between a consultant and a manager matters more. IMPLICATIONS: Results of the empirical research indicate that cooperation between a consultant and a manager may help reduce differences of opinion and internal conflicts. A higher propensity to cooperate may significantly improve the functioning of an enterprise. Business consulting has an indirect and direct effect on innovativeness. It has a positive impact on knowledge absorptive capacity, while better knowledge stimulates innovativeness. ORIGINALITY AND VALUE: An original triangular model of the relationship between business consulting, knowledge absorptive capacity, and innovativeness is proposed. Advanced econometric methods are used in order to find complex relationships between using business consulting, knowledge absorptive capacity, and improvement in innovativeness. Moreover, results of the estimation of the parameters of the econometric model provide interesting recommendations for policies supporting the development of business consulting in the Polish economy. Keywords: business consulting, knowledge absorptive capacity, innovativeness, multivariate discrete choice model, development support policy, econometric model, economy Sustainable development and entrepreneurship in emerging countries: Are sustainable development and entrepreneurship reciprocally reinforcing? Abstract PURPOSE: Entrepreneurship seen as an engine for economic development is especially desirable for emerging countries to support rapid growth. Moreover, entrepreneurs can support social transformation in favor of more sustainable products and services. Sustainable orientation of entrepreneurship contributes to sustainable development goals and prevents environmental deprivation. However, the sustainable development agenda can also influence entrepreneurship. METHODOLOGY: The conducted bibliometric analysis confirmed the growing interest among scholars in the correlation of entrepreneurship to sustainability in the last years. Furthermore, panel regression (static model) was used to explore the variables on entrepreneurship influencing the sustainable development goal (SDG) index in emerging countries, and Levin, Lin and Chu (LLC), W-Stat – IPS, ADF-Fisher Chi-Square, and PP-Fisher Chi-Square tests were applied to analyze the variables stationarity. In order to examine the existence of structural breaks, the robustness was checked on single cross-section units and on the whole panel dataset. In addition, the Hausmann test was used to select between random and fixed effects, and heteroskedasticity of residues, autocorrelation of residues and dependence of residues between the panels were conducted. Data was analyzed through Eviews 13. FINDINGS: This paper investigates the relationship between sustainability and entrepreneurship in emerging countries. It discusses the impact of sustainable development on entrepreneurship and the influence of entrepreneurship on sustainable development. IMPLICATIONS: The study results can be used by governments and policymakers to plan their strategies and policies concerning entrepreneurship and implementation of sustainable development goals. They should promote entrepreneurial activity and control the negative environmental impact of enterprises simultaneously. ORIGINALITY AND VALUE: The research addresses the gap in the literature concerning the relationship between sustainable development and sustainable entrepreneurship. The paper examines the reciprocal relationship between sustainable development and entrepreneurship with an emphasis on emerging countries. Keywords: entrepreneurship, sustainability, sustainable development, sustainable entrepreneurship, emerging countries, entrepreneurs Is Team Entrepreneurial Orientation important in generating creative business ideas? The moderating role of team-perceived heterogeneity and the individual creative mindset Abstract PURPOSE: The study aims to unveil if Team Entrepreneurial Orientation (TEO) facilitates identification of creative market opportunities understood as novelty and quality business ideas. Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) has rarely been measured at a team level and few studies have attempted to examine the relationship between EO and actual creative outcomes. The proposed research model searches for new patterns that can foster creativity of entrepreneurial teams. In addition, the research adds the moderating effect of perceived team heterogeneity and individual creative mindset (Growth-Creative and Fixed-Creative Mindsets) as contingency variables to improve the understanding under which circumstances the entrepreneurial teams generate creative business ideas. METHODOLOGY: The research sample comprises entrepreneurial teams from the Mondragon Team Academy in the Basque Country, Spain. The survey data were collected after the entrepreneurial teams performed idea generation. The applied experiment of idea generation of entrepreneurial teams has not been generated for the purpose of the study but it formed part of the natural processes of the selected sample of teams. The novelty and quality of business ideas were evaluated by experts in the field. The data relationships were analyzed through partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). FINDINGS: Entrepreneurial Orientation of teams leads to product-market entries but not necessarily to novel product-market entries. Entrepreneurially oriented teams have a greater tendency to generate quality and slightly modified existing business ideas rather than to generate novel market opportunities. The applied moderators present different interaction results with the studied relationships. Specifically, individuals with a Fixed-Creative Mindset in a team have an antagonistic interaction on the TEO-Quality relationship. Team-Perceived Heterogeneity and Growth-Creative Mindset of individuals have no effect on either the TEO-Quality or the TEO-Novelty link. IMPLICATIONS: The research demonstrates the importance of contextualization of the nature of creativity in EO as a crucial antecedent of market innovations. Our study adds to the literature and practice by providing evidence that EO at a team level (TEO) plays a critical role in exploring product-market entries, given that TEO facilitates Quality outcomes only. Entrepreneurially oriented teams do not easily achieve Novel outcomes that allow them to enter new markets. Individuals with Fixed Creative Mindset in a team should be avoided as they block the relationship between Team Entrepreneurial Orientation and Quality. Likewise, our study supports the validity of Entrepreneurial Orientation at a team level, which can lead to more suitable practical implications for a team and its creativity management if applied. It could help in developing appropriate team formation and team management practices. ORIGINALITY AND VALUE: The study proposes rare and unique EO analysis at a team level and at young companies’ level (start-up). The study contributes to the original and overlooked in the literature conceptualization of EO within Schumpeter’s perspective of “creative destruction” in entrepreneurial activities. The examined theoretical foundations of EO led to clearer antecedents of behavioural effects of entrepreneurial teams towards product-market entries. The study initiates, identifies and calls for new further research lines to contribute to a greater and contingent understanding of how entrepreneurial teams generate creative business ideas, especially, novel business ideas, which are necessary for “creative destruction”, the EO construct itself and overall economic development. Keywords: entrepreneurship, creativity, team, entrepreneurial orientation, creative outcomes. Subjective norms and entrepreneurial intention: A moderated-serial mediation model Abstract PURPOSE: This study aims to clarify the effect mechanism of subjective norms on entrepreneurial intention. The results of how subjective norms contribute to forming start-up intention are inconsistent and unclear, which is notable in previous research. By integrating the theory of planned behavior and the theory of self-efficacy, we investigate whether entrepreneurial self-efficacy and attitude toward entrepreneurship serially mediate the relationship between subjective norms and intention to start a business. In addition, this study examines the moderate role of entrepreneurial education on the serial indirect effect of subjective norms on entrepreneurial intention via entrepreneurial self-efficacy and attitude toward entrepreneurship. METHODOLOGY: This study utilized a sample of 958 master’s students in Vietnam to investigate a moderated-serial mediation model of subjective norms on entrepreneurial intention. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was carried out to check the reliability and validity of the scales. Then, the SPSS PROCESS macro developed by Hayes was employed to test the research model. Specifically, Model 6 was used to examine the serial indirect effect of subjective norms on start-up intention and Model 84 was implemented to investigate the moderate effect of entrepreneurial education. FINDINGS: The results of this study found that entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial attitude significantly mediate subjective norms’ effect on entrepreneurial intention. Especially, the results reveal that the serial mediation effect of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and attitude toward entrepreneurship was significant and entrepreneurial self-efficacy and attitude toward entrepreneurship played a fully mediating role in the relationship between subjective norms and start-up intention. In addition, this study found that the serial mediation effect of subjective norms on start-up intention via entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial attitude was negatively moderated by entrepreneurial education. IMPLICATIONS: The results of this study further clarify the relationship between subjective norms and entrepreneurial intention and the role of entrepreneurial education, therefore, contributing to narrowing the notable gap between this relationship. Besides, our study provides several implications for governments and policymakers to promote the intention to start a business. The finding of our study indicates that subjective norms are an important factor in promoting entrepreneurial intention. Therefore, policymakers should take some actions to promote entrepreneurial culture, such as strengthening propaganda activities to promote the image of successful entrepreneurs, praising businesses and entrepreneurs who contribute to society, and giving evidence of their contribution to the development of the country. Promoting an entrepreneurial culture may increase peer group pressure on potential entrepreneurs, thus enhancing the intention to start a business. ORIGINALITY AND VALUE: This study expects to contribute to a better understanding of the effect mechanism of subjective norms on entrepreneurial intention and explain the role of entrepreneurial education in this relationship. This study explores the mediating role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial attitude in the relationship between subjective norms and the intention to start a business. Additionally, this study demonstrates that entrepreneurial education weakens the serial mediation model of subjective norms on the intention to start a business. Keywords: subjective norm, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, attitude toward entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial intention, entrepreneurial education, the theory of planned behavior, the theory of self-efficacy, moderated-serial mediation model An overview of the empirical research on entrepreneurial alertness using a systematic literature review method Abstract PURPOSE: In the last two decades, the concept of entrepreneurial alertness (EA) has been considered a key element in investigating how individuals recognize entrepreneurial opportunities. Consequently, research on entrepreneurial alertness has grown considerably, attracting researchers’ attention from not only the field of entrepreneurship, but also other academic disciplines through which this concept has been studied from a variety of perspectives. Therefore, it is time to document researchers’ cumulative knowledge on entrepreneurial alertness. The present study aims to provide a comprehensive qualitative review and evaluation of the empirical entrepreneurial alertness research. METHODOLOGY: Based on a multi-step approach used in previous studies, which guarantees a systematic, transparent, and replicable literature review, this study identified a final sample of 84 articles published in scientific journals between 2005 and 2021 that empirically tested the concept of EA. The publications were sourced from the Web of Science database. Their analysis involved the evolution of published articles, the journals that have published the most articles, the countries where the research was undertaken, the measurement scales that have been used, and the research models in which entrepreneurial alertness has been hypothesized and examined through empirical research. FINDINGS: The results show that empirical research on entrepreneurial alertness grew significantly from 2016 to 2021, during which period almost 11 articles per year were published. Seven of the journals that published the articles contributed 28 percent of the total publications. Also, the results confirm that most of the empirical research on alertness has been carried out in developing economies, from which China stands out with 14 publications, representing 16 percent of the total. Additionally, the results confirm the growing consensus regarding the conceptualization and measurement of entrepreneurial alertness. Finally, the review resulted in the identification of five broad research models in which EA has been hypothesized and examined through empirical research: antecedents, consequences, mediation, moderation, and moderated mediation. The model examining the consequences or outcomes of entrepreneurial alertness has received the most attention, with 59 articles in this context. IMPLICATIONS FOR THEORY AND PRACTICE: The identification of concepts and the type of relationship they have with entrepreneurial alertness help evaluate the advances of empirical research as well as the areas of opportunity. In this way, future studies can strengthen research and thus advance the general knowledge of alertness. The most studied topics are also a reflection of the contribution of entrepreneurial alertness toward practice, both at the individual and organizational levels. In addition, researchers interested in entrepreneurial alertness are encouraged to consider the progress made in the measurement of this aspect, which offers alternatives for investigation. ORIGINALITY AND VALUE: Based on the review of the literature, this study organizes the empirical research of entrepreneurial alertness in different research models, which provide important insights into its process. Moreover, this study uncovers potential areas to be addressed and thereby contributes to the study of entrepreneurial alertness. Keywords: entrepreneurial alertness, systematic literature review, entrepreneurial opportunity, research models, opportunity recognition, alertness, entrepreneurship The linkage between economic literacy and students’ intention of starting business: The mediating role of entrepreneurial alertness Abstract PURPOSE: Enhancing the number of entrepreneurs is a major study to combat economic and social problems. Psychological factors considered as effective stimulants for entrepreneurial behavior have attracted many researchers in the last decade. The purpose of this research attempts to examine how the influence of economic literacy can promote the intention of starting a new business among students and explore the role of entrepreneurial alertness in mediating this relationship. METHODOLOGY: The research adopted a quantitative approach in which hypotheses were statistically estimated using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) based on survey data using a self-administered questionnaire (n=450) from several universities in Indonesia. FINDINGS: The analysis indicates that economic literacy has a significant effect on students’ entrepreneurial alertness and intention to start a new business. Indeed, entrepreneurial alertness can mediate the relationship between economic literacy and the intention of starting a new business. However, among entrepreneurial alertness dimensions, scanning and search failed in determining the students’ intention of starting a new business. IMPLICATIONS: The result of this research can provide insight into the literature on the entrepreneurship theme and policymakers concerned with delivering new business creation. Besides, educational institutions can consider the matter of economic literacy to be part of their curricula in order to foster the students’ intention of starting a business. In addition, economic literacy also needs to be associated with examples relevant to entrepreneurial activities, especially in production, distribution, and online marketing. ORIGINALITY AND VALUE: The interesting findings of this paper serve as a reminder that entrepreneurial alertness is one of the predictor variables and mediators for raising the students’ intention. This implies that entrepreneurial alertness can be enhanced by economic literacy, as well as how they need to be used to improve course curriculum and the teaching pedagogy. Furthermore, educational institutions could provide business internship programs and entrepreneurship incubators to raise the students’ intention of starting business. Keywords: economic literacy, entrepreneurial alertness, intention, starting business
Interprets management consulting from a knowledge perspective, and proposes a general conceptual framework for investigating and interpreting that potential. This work discusses two approaches to interpreting management consulting: the diachronic approach, and the synchronic approach.
The volume is based on the presentations and discussions from the Fifth European Conference on Management Consulting sponsored by the Management Consulting Division of the Academy of Management, which took place June, 2011 at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The conference theme – Exploring the Professional Identity of Management Consultants – attempted to capture the highly ambiguous social status of this young and emerging profession. Management consulting does not have professional standards or accreditation criteria like those found in medicine or law, there are low barriers to entry, and a broad range of tasks are undertaken in the name of consulting. As a result, a crucial aspect of what constitutes such a loosely defined profession is the identity of its members. The professional identity of management consultants is continuously developing through the interplay of how consultants are seen and valued by clients as well as in the larger society, and how consultancy firms and consultants identify and position themselves. This theme includes a variety of topics, ranging from the interaction between consultants and their clients, consultant rhetoric and self-presentation, and the plethora of books, media and public discourse on consulting, to human resource policies and practices, knowledge development activities of consultancy firms, career and life stories of consultants and consultancies, and consulting associations, accreditation bodies, and education programs. All of these factors contribute, either directly or indirectly, to identity construction in the field of management consulting.
Now in its second edition, this unique and authoritative guide provides a description of the management consultancy profession worldwide, together with advice on how to choose and use its services effectively. With contributions from leading practitioners, the guide is essential reading for all purchasers of management consultancy services. Part One identifies the parameters and definitions of management consultancy. It presents overviews of the industry's origins and evolution, the present status of the leading multinational management consultancies and some of the global forces shaping the development of management consultancy. Part Two is devoted to ethics and best practice in management consultancy from a number of perspectives. Central to these discussions is the international development of the Certified Management Consultant (CMC) qualification. Part Three scrutinises the life of the client-consultant relationship, focusing on what clients can do to make the consultant's role effective and their working relationship productive. Part Four comprises snapshots by leading practitioners of thirteen key consultancy fields, ranging from strategy and marketing through change management and process re-engineering to the newer disciplines of information and knowledge management, m-commerce, ERP and e-business. Part Five consists of a general account of consulting in developing countries, followed by profiles of 26 country-by-country management consultancy markets.
