Summary Strategy Consulting 2021
Week 1..................................................................................................................................................... 2
An introduction to management consultancy – Baaij M. ............................................................................................... 2
Chapter 1 .......................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Chapter 2 .......................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Chapter 5 .......................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Colonizing knowledge: commodification as a dynamic of jurisdictional expansion in professional service firms –
Suddaby & Greenwood ................................................................................................................................................. 7
Week 2..................................................................................................................................................... 8
An introduction to management consultancy – Baaij M. ............................................................................................... 8
Chapter 7 .......................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Chapter 8 .......................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Balancing the professional service firm – Maister ........................................................................................................ 10
Knowledge-based innovation: Emergence and embedding of new practice areas in management consulting firms –
Anand, Gardner & Morris. ........................................................................................................................................... 12
Week 3................................................................................................................................................... 13
An introduction to management consultancy – Baaij M. ............................................................................................. 13
Chapter 10 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Chapter 12 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Can you say what your strategy is – Collis & Rukstad................................................................................................... 17
Strategic tools: An empirical investigation into strategy in practice in the UK – Gunn & Williams ................................ 17
Week 4................................................................................................................................................... 18
An introduction to management consultancy – Baaij M. ............................................................................................. 18
Chapter 13 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Chapter 14 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 19
The best memo you will ever write – Weeks ............................................................................................................... 20
How to write a memo or report – Williams ................................................................................................................. 20
Week 5................................................................................................................................................... 21
The new leader's guide to diagnosing the business – Gottfredson et al. ....................................................................... 21
The resource-based theory of competitive advantage: Implications for strategy formulation – Grant ......................... 23
Capitalizing on capabilities – Ulrich & Smallwood........................................................................................................ 24
The five competitive forces that shape strategy – Porter ............................................................................................. 25
Week 6................................................................................................................................................... 26
Scenario planning: a tool for strategic thinking – Schoemaker ..................................................................................... 26
An introduction to management consultancy – Baaij M. ............................................................................................. 27
Chapter 15 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 27
Mastering the management system – Kaplan & Norton .............................................................................................. 28
The eight ‘S’s of successful strategy execution – Higgins .............................................................................................. 29
1
,Week 1
An introduction to management consultancy – Baaij M.
Chapter 1
Management consulting: knowledge-intensive service which independent business professionals provide to
managers and consists of objective advice on managerial decisions regarding solutions to problems and
opportunities (= narrow definition), and advice about implementation (= broad definition).
Different perspectives on management consulting view management consultants as:
- Functionalist: doctors/ professional helpers that create value for their clients, society and function as
knowledge-broker.
- Critical: witchdoctors that use persuasive power in which knowledge consists of fads/ fashion and
effectiveness is questioned.
Roles of management consultants:
➔ Informal consultancy seems tempting (easy money), but can erode the consultancy’s reputation.
The management consultancy process consists of:
Management substitutes: consultants can take or be given full responsibility for each process. Clients may
choose this because of time restrictions/ high opportunity costs, lack of staff, or inability to critically monitor
consultants.
Bogus consultation: consultants can take or be given zero responsibility for each process which brings reputation
risks for the consultants.
Consultants can be internal or external. External consultancy is often considered to be more qualitative.
2
, Area Differences Implications
Knowledge Internal consultants will generally focus on one Internal consultants will have better client understanding,
organization. which may benefit in particular expert consultation on
implementation, and process consultation.
External consultants will generally work for a external consultants will have broader, more varied
broader group of clients that may span different knowledge, and skills which may benefit expert
sectors consultation and doctor consultation that requires new-
to-the-line knowledge and skills.
Relation to internal consultants are subject to the clients external consultants are more suited to provide impartial,
client hierarchy, whereas external consultants operate independent consultancy. However, external consultants
at arm’s length. may also better be used as a political ally and scapegoat.
Reputation Internal consultants may develop an internal If external consultants have a strong public reputation,
reputation but not a public reputation. External they may be used as legitimators.
consultants may develop a strong public
reputation.
Cost Internal consultants generally have lower fees Internal consultants’ cost advantage may be particularly
than external consultants. decisive if clients need hired hands and large-scale, long-
term consultation on implementation
Management consultancy is not seen as a profession. Something is seen as profession when a business activity
is accompanied by a formal, legally enforced institution that protects the interest of the public and professionals
involved. Therefore, anyone can call him/herself a management consultant, which can damage the image of
management consultancy as being a profession. Why is it not a profession?
➔ Evaluation difficulties: quality of management consultancy is impossible to measure. Measuring the
input (knowledge, skills, etc.) instead of output (work hours) would be more feasible.
➔ Domain ambiguity: MC is too ambiguous and diffuse for a common standard of knowledge because
there is not even a shared definition in what management consultancy is (broad vs. narrow definition).
➔ Diverging interests: consultants that view themselves as superior will have no interest in standardization
of inputs. Under average consultants can benefit from the input standards, which lowers the
‘competitive position’ of above average consultants.
Chapter 2
The development of MC was triggered by technological, regulatory, and institutional changes, and consists of
three fields:
Operations consultancy: in 1870 (second industrial revolution) mass production became important and required
high capital. Shareholders were introduced and ownership and management became separated in which
professional managers were paid to run the organization. Challenged by new technologies and large scale
operations, these managers sought to increase efficiency (ROI).
➔ Because decisions were complex and highly valued, the first paid advisor (Frederick Taylor) emerged as
factory management.
➔ Scientific management: studying and optimizing each individual part of the operations task (decompose
& optimize). This method, inspired by Adam Smith, is still used.
➔ Bedaux consultancy: first management consultancy firm.
➔ Around 1930s, demand for consultancy dried up and a new field of MC arose.
Organization & Strategy consultancy: big corporations emerged and other than efficiency consultants, bankers
provided corporate management with advice on organization-wide problems. The increasing size and complexity
of corporations increased the need for new systems in cost accounting, which led to advice for accountancy
(audits).
3
Week 1..................................................................................................................................................... 2
An introduction to management consultancy – Baaij M. ............................................................................................... 2
Chapter 1 .......................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Chapter 2 .......................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Chapter 5 .......................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Colonizing knowledge: commodification as a dynamic of jurisdictional expansion in professional service firms –
Suddaby & Greenwood ................................................................................................................................................. 7
Week 2..................................................................................................................................................... 8
An introduction to management consultancy – Baaij M. ............................................................................................... 8
Chapter 7 .......................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Chapter 8 .......................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Balancing the professional service firm – Maister ........................................................................................................ 10
Knowledge-based innovation: Emergence and embedding of new practice areas in management consulting firms –
Anand, Gardner & Morris. ........................................................................................................................................... 12
Week 3................................................................................................................................................... 13
An introduction to management consultancy – Baaij M. ............................................................................................. 13
Chapter 10 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Chapter 12 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Can you say what your strategy is – Collis & Rukstad................................................................................................... 17
Strategic tools: An empirical investigation into strategy in practice in the UK – Gunn & Williams ................................ 17
Week 4................................................................................................................................................... 18
An introduction to management consultancy – Baaij M. ............................................................................................. 18
Chapter 13 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Chapter 14 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 19
The best memo you will ever write – Weeks ............................................................................................................... 20
How to write a memo or report – Williams ................................................................................................................. 20
Week 5................................................................................................................................................... 21
The new leader's guide to diagnosing the business – Gottfredson et al. ....................................................................... 21
The resource-based theory of competitive advantage: Implications for strategy formulation – Grant ......................... 23
Capitalizing on capabilities – Ulrich & Smallwood........................................................................................................ 24
The five competitive forces that shape strategy – Porter ............................................................................................. 25
Week 6................................................................................................................................................... 26
Scenario planning: a tool for strategic thinking – Schoemaker ..................................................................................... 26
An introduction to management consultancy – Baaij M. ............................................................................................. 27
Chapter 15 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 27
Mastering the management system – Kaplan & Norton .............................................................................................. 28
The eight ‘S’s of successful strategy execution – Higgins .............................................................................................. 29
1
,Week 1
An introduction to management consultancy – Baaij M.
Chapter 1
Management consulting: knowledge-intensive service which independent business professionals provide to
managers and consists of objective advice on managerial decisions regarding solutions to problems and
opportunities (= narrow definition), and advice about implementation (= broad definition).
Different perspectives on management consulting view management consultants as:
- Functionalist: doctors/ professional helpers that create value for their clients, society and function as
knowledge-broker.
- Critical: witchdoctors that use persuasive power in which knowledge consists of fads/ fashion and
effectiveness is questioned.
Roles of management consultants:
➔ Informal consultancy seems tempting (easy money), but can erode the consultancy’s reputation.
The management consultancy process consists of:
Management substitutes: consultants can take or be given full responsibility for each process. Clients may
choose this because of time restrictions/ high opportunity costs, lack of staff, or inability to critically monitor
consultants.
Bogus consultation: consultants can take or be given zero responsibility for each process which brings reputation
risks for the consultants.
Consultants can be internal or external. External consultancy is often considered to be more qualitative.
2
, Area Differences Implications
Knowledge Internal consultants will generally focus on one Internal consultants will have better client understanding,
organization. which may benefit in particular expert consultation on
implementation, and process consultation.
External consultants will generally work for a external consultants will have broader, more varied
broader group of clients that may span different knowledge, and skills which may benefit expert
sectors consultation and doctor consultation that requires new-
to-the-line knowledge and skills.
Relation to internal consultants are subject to the clients external consultants are more suited to provide impartial,
client hierarchy, whereas external consultants operate independent consultancy. However, external consultants
at arm’s length. may also better be used as a political ally and scapegoat.
Reputation Internal consultants may develop an internal If external consultants have a strong public reputation,
reputation but not a public reputation. External they may be used as legitimators.
consultants may develop a strong public
reputation.
Cost Internal consultants generally have lower fees Internal consultants’ cost advantage may be particularly
than external consultants. decisive if clients need hired hands and large-scale, long-
term consultation on implementation
Management consultancy is not seen as a profession. Something is seen as profession when a business activity
is accompanied by a formal, legally enforced institution that protects the interest of the public and professionals
involved. Therefore, anyone can call him/herself a management consultant, which can damage the image of
management consultancy as being a profession. Why is it not a profession?
➔ Evaluation difficulties: quality of management consultancy is impossible to measure. Measuring the
input (knowledge, skills, etc.) instead of output (work hours) would be more feasible.
➔ Domain ambiguity: MC is too ambiguous and diffuse for a common standard of knowledge because
there is not even a shared definition in what management consultancy is (broad vs. narrow definition).
➔ Diverging interests: consultants that view themselves as superior will have no interest in standardization
of inputs. Under average consultants can benefit from the input standards, which lowers the
‘competitive position’ of above average consultants.
Chapter 2
The development of MC was triggered by technological, regulatory, and institutional changes, and consists of
three fields:
Operations consultancy: in 1870 (second industrial revolution) mass production became important and required
high capital. Shareholders were introduced and ownership and management became separated in which
professional managers were paid to run the organization. Challenged by new technologies and large scale
operations, these managers sought to increase efficiency (ROI).
➔ Because decisions were complex and highly valued, the first paid advisor (Frederick Taylor) emerged as
factory management.
➔ Scientific management: studying and optimizing each individual part of the operations task (decompose
& optimize). This method, inspired by Adam Smith, is still used.
➔ Bedaux consultancy: first management consultancy firm.
➔ Around 1930s, demand for consultancy dried up and a new field of MC arose.
Organization & Strategy consultancy: big corporations emerged and other than efficiency consultants, bankers
provided corporate management with advice on organization-wide problems. The increasing size and complexity
of corporations increased the need for new systems in cost accounting, which led to advice for accountancy
(audits).
3
