Introduction
According to Management Consultancy Association, “management consultancy is the creation of value for organisations through the application of knowledge technique and assets to improve business performance. This can be achieved through the rendering of objective advice and or the implementation of the business solutions” (O’Mahoney 2010).
However, Greiner and Metzger(1983) defined management consulting as an advisory service contracted for and provided to organisation by specially trained and qualified persons who assist in an objective and independent manner, the client organisation to identify management problems, recommend solutions to these problems and help when requested in the implementation of solution.
The types of projects undertaken by consultant may involve the proffering of specialist technical expertise such as the development of information technology system or generating cultural change within an organisation, help organisations build relationships with outside parties etc. (Wickham and Wickham 2008). They can serve as a change agent, coach, educators or facilitators within an organisation.
Management consulting includes a wide range of activities which can be described in different ways. One way is to focus on area of expertise which includes corporate strategy, service quality, human resource management or operations management. Another way is to view the process as a sequence of phases which include initiation, contracting, diagnosis, data collection, feedback, recommendation and implementation (Edvardsson 1989).
In organisations, clients look to consultants for advice to solve problems and improve the company. From the survey in 2006 by management consultancy Association 66 per cent of the c...
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Leading Change was named the top management book of the year by Management General. There are three major sections in this book. The first section is ¡§the change of problem and its solution¡¨ ; which discusses why firms fail. The second one is ¡§the eight-stage process¡¨ that deals with methods of performing changes. Lastly, ¡§implications for the twenty-first century¡¨ is discussed as the conclusion. The eight stages of process are as followed: (1) Establishing a sense of urgency. (2) Creating the guiding coalition. (3) Developing a vision and a strategy. (4) Communicating the change of vision. (5) Empowering employees for broad-based action. (6) Generating short-term wins. (7) Consolidating gains and producing more changes. (8) Anchoring new approaches in the culture.
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...ications management process is about presenting corporate policy, and creating a positive relationship with an organization's environment. Promoting the relationships with all the relevant stakeholders acts as an extremely important tool to gain corporate success and competitive advantage.
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The type of management system chosen also depends on and must be suited to the external environment to allow them to be successful. A...
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The world is constantly changing in many different ways. Whether it is technological or cultural change is present and inevitable. Organizations are not exempt from change. As a matter of fact, organizations have to change with the world and society in order to be successful. Organizations have to constantly incorporate change in order to have a competitive advantage and satisfy their customers. Organizations use change in order to learn and grow. However, change is not something that can happen in an organization overnight. It has to be thought through and planned. The General Model of Planned Change focuses on what processes are used by the organization to implement change. In the General Model of Planned Change, four steps are used in order to complete the process of change. Entering and Contracting, Diagnosing, Planning and Implementing, and Evaluating and Institutionalizing are the four steps used in order to complete the process of change in an organization. The diagnostic process is one of the most important activities in OD(Cummings, 2009, p. 30).