The second volume in the Research in Management Consulting series focuses on developing knowledge and value in management consulting. While there has been an exponential explosion in both the presence and role played by management consultants, the exact nature of their contribution —to client organizations, to our understanding of management and organization, to our comprehension of the increasingly complex dynamics associated with business in a global marketplace, and to the development of their own firms—remains ambiguous. Just as the business world is experiencing rapid and, at times, volatile change, the consulting industry itself is also facing unprecedented change and challenge. Over the next decade, forecasts suggest a world of difference for management consulting, from different competitors and different types of projects and assignments, to different skill sets and different fee structures, to different client expectations.

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 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.

This book provides a thorough examination of a variety of specialties within the broad range of management consulting. A book of such scope and depth could only be written by a large number of experts, each from one of the many specialties related to management consulting. Together, all 27 contributors take the reader through an industry that is currently undergoing significant change. While covering all the major practice areas of consulting, the book also offers new insights into change processes and addresses compelling management issues now facing consulting firms.

In these times of flux, organisations are compelled to proactively effect changes in their systems to cope with various factors in the external and internal environment. This comprehensive book tackles all the areas where change interventions are necessary. It is divided into three parts: (1) Organisational Change (2) Organisation Development, and (3) Knowledge Management. The first part, comprising five chapters, includes an examination of the imperatives of change in today's environment of competition. The different forces of change political, economic, technological are examined against the backdrop of shifting customer needs, systems dynamics, inadequacy of administration, profitability issues and resource constraints. The various models of change, corporate culture in terms of basic value orientations and norms, techniques of identifying and diagnosing organisational culture, classical leadership skills, and the ten key factors in effective change management have all been thoroughly discussed, as have the techniques of designing tailor-made change programmes. The second part, comprising four chapters, introduces the concept of Organisation Development and dissects the basic assumptions against diagnostic models, skills and methods, change agents, power and control issues, and implications of power politics. Certain categories of ethical dilemmas have been explored. Various types of OD interventions ranging from interpersonal & team development to process, structural and intergroup development are exhaustively discussed. The third part of the book, comprising four chapters, highlights the need for knowledge management in the present business scenario and discusses the roadblocks to the adoption of knowledge management solutions. Principles of knowledge management have been discussed along with the process of maturation of knowledge management techniques. The characteristics of a learning organisation have been diagnosed and steps for initiating the process of organisational learning have been outlined. This book will be an invaluable resource for students, faculty as well as practising professionals.

Against a background of increasing inequality and a rising tide of nationalism and populism, this book raises concerns that curriculum is being shaped by powerful non-academic, non-accountable forces and that populism – and its manifestations – represent a grave challenge to learning. It explores the extent to which curriculum and learning methods in higher education should respond to this challenge. Using problem based learning as a case study it draws on crossdisciplinary studies to examine how regional, national and organizational perspectives emphasize different aspects of PBL. It questions whether PBL provides an effective response to external influences and a ‘populist’ highereducation agenda. In conclusion the book poses an uncomfortable question whether graduates reflect the external forces shaping curriculum and hence may be as vulnerable to populist rhetoric as non-graduates precisely because the curriculum and learning methods do not engage with the challenges. This book will appeal to scholars of problem based learning, as well as populism and therole of higher education in society.

This book constitutes extended selected papers from the 15th Conference on Advanced Information Technologies for Management, AITM 2017, and the 12th Conference on Information Systems Management, ISM 2017, held as part of the Federated Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems, FedCSIS, which took place in Prague, Poland, in September 2017. The 13 papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 48 submissions. They were organized in topical sections named: information technology and systems for knowledge management; information technology and systems for business transformation; and implementation and evaluation of information systems.

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.