MANAGEMENT CONSULTING
Syllabus
Updated A.Y. 2019-2020
COURSE OVERVIEW
The course explores and analyzes the way management consulting firms are managing the project as well as are managing their own organization. The focus of this course is on pragmatic and action-oriented consulting skills supported by an inductive path where many leading consulting firms are sharing their approaches to develop consulting projects. Leading consulting firms will also present the way they are organized and they recruit.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
Develop an understanding of the management consulting industry, the understanding of consulting projects, related diagnosis and solution development, its communication and implementation.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
Understand and apply the tools management consulting firms use in order to manage their projects, with a specific focus on Design Thinking and Agile.
MAKING JUDGEMENTS
Understand the approach management consulting firms use in order to manage their business and their professionals, especially when dealing with Digital Transformation projects.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Understand how to structure the presentations and communicate the evidence from the management consulting projects in order to get the customer “buying-in”.
LEARNING SKILLS
Build (transferrable) management consulting skills, such as structured problem solving, design thinking approach and agile consulting project management.
STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE AND REFERENCE TEXTBOOK
The course is based on three parts:
PART I: Management Consulting fundamentals
• Overview on management consultancy
• Management of a consulting project
• Problem diagnosis and solution development
• Communication and implementation
• Management of the consulting firm
• Management consulting and the digital transformation challenge
PART II: Design thinking methodology
Group work and testimonials, useful to allow of the “Design Thinking methodology”an initial direct and deeper contact with the management consulting tools and activities, based on:
• Design Thinking methodology main steps and tools
• Applications examples
• Impacts on the consulting company work and the value delivered to customers
PART III: Agile methodology in consulting projects
• Agile methodology: main steps and tools
• Applications examples
• Impacts on the consulting company work and the value delivered to customers
Some classes in Parts II and III have been designed and will be taught together with Dr. D. Binci and the consulting firms engaged in the course.
For PART I, the reference textbook is: Baaij, M.G., An introduction to Management Consultancy, Sage, 2014. In particular:
• The management of consultancy projects (chapters 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15)
• The management of consultancy firm (chapters 7, 8 and 9)
For PARTS II and III the reference material is made of the course slides and reports from leading-edge consulting companies (included in the course website).
OTHER LEARNING SOURCES
Selected readings from HBR, yearly report on the Management Consulting Industry from FEACO (European Federation of Management Consultancies Associations) and from Confindustria Assoconsult (Italian Association of Management Consulting Firms).
Literature review article (for non attending students):
Cerruti, C., Tavoletti, E. and Grieco, C. (2019), "Management consulting: a review of fif-ty years of scholarly research", Management Research Review (included in the course web site).
Manuals on the methodologies (optional but suggested to those interested in a career in consulting):
• R. Curedale, Design Thinking Process & Methods (5th Edition), 2019
• PMI -Project Management Institute, Agile Practice Guide, 2019
TEACHING METHODS
Academic classes based on text book & articles, some interactive sessions plus case studies discussed interactively with management consultants.