Consultants on Consulting

By Paul Maranville When it’s time to hire an entry or mid-level practitioner, the process is typically pretty straight forward: screen prospects,…

Traditional management consulting operating models are being brushed aside by new principles that have firms specializing in a growing number of functional…

What is the value of a human life? Insurance executives and safety analysts deal with this question regularly, but for most people, it’s a difficult…

Global business teams face a bevy of unique challenges. Not only must they overcome the obvious barriers—geographic, linguistic and cultural – but…

I did not start my professional career as a consultant, although I had the opportunity to. Upon receiving my Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering…

As consulting firms look to expand, often international growth receives high consideration as a method of advancement from the leadership team. The consulting…

At Plante Moran, we’re driven by a relentless desire to build the best client advisory service in the country. A critical step in achieving that objective…

I recently spent weeks cleaning out my basement—dusting, mopping and scrubbing my way to cleanliness and organization. Although I basked in the order…

Many consultants chose to go into business for themselves and open consulting firms. Depending on the particular consultant’s expertise and background,…

Though change is inevitable within any organization, getting people to go along with  it can be an arduous task, even when the benefits are clear. Such…

Some call it a mega Ponzi scheme and some call it a speculative bubble. Nevertheless if anything ever has caught the attention of the regulators, investors…

As a consultant, would you recommend your client to outsource their most treasured process, the core of their value chain? If your answer is no- you’re…

By Megha Mathur There’s no question we’re going to be interacting more and more with emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), augmented…

Let’s say your organization is ready to further embrace diversity by committing resources to recruiting and retaining a more diverse talent pool. Perhaps…

Standing up in front of my peers to receive an award as a Global Leader in Consulting I felt strangely uncomfortable, in fact even writing about it makes…

Today, there are more than 600,000 consultants in the United States, which will grow as more young professionals launch their careers. Millennials now…

By Bruce Catanzarite Management consulting and coaching are often paired in a consulting engagement, along with mentoring. Many consultants say they…

Working in the consulting industry provides a unique set of requirements and challenges, such as heavy travel schedules and compressed project timelines.…

By Sarah Skidmore The consulting profession has evolved quite a bit over the past 40 to 50 years. And with the 21st century, comes the unearthing of…

A look at how successful consulting may depend on understanding the difference. Ever wondered why projects go off the rails? I do. It keeps me up at…

Many consultants cringe on the inside when others refer to them as a contractor. On the surface, many think there is little difference between the two.…

Leadership has always been at the forefront of management training. However, the four functions of management depict leadership as one of the four. For…

For years, the application of predictive analytics in supply chain management has been described as “transformative,” a “big opportunity,” the…

Consulting is often a frustrating experience for clients—and no more fulfilling for the consultants concerned even though they get their fee. But consulting…

I have spent the last 30 years of my career in the consulting business; twenty of those at KPMG and the last ten at a regional consultancy, Bridgepoint…

We’ve all heard about the perks of consulting—travel, per diems, cool assignments, and advanced learning. We’ve also heard about the challenges—really…

Being a part of a winning team is often considered a baseline objective for individuals in the professional world. In general, people feel a sense of…

I have been practicing business consulting for more than 12 years now. All my consulting colleagues would agree that any sustainable business transformation…

By Ismail Amla Disruption. As consultants, we love to talk about how radical technology shifts are disrupting everything—the markets we work in,…

I was in the reception area of the Melbourne, Australia office of a global strategy consulting firm, and it took me precisely two seconds to realize…

The digital economy is disrupting business and information technology unlike anytime in modern history. This is enabled by the consumerization of technology,…

Today‘s globalized nature of competitiveness in oil and gas markets is placing more pressure on companies operating in these industries to develop…

Using Manufacturing and Retail Industries as Case Analysis Times are changing with lots of redundancy within the corporate culture of supply chain…

Change is never easy, even under the best circumstances. You can have a brilliant idea and unanimous buy-in from your team, and you’ll still face challenges turning that concept into reality.

Over the past 30-plus years, businesses have spent billions on talent assessments. Many of these are now being used to understand job candidates. Increasingly, businesses are asking how (or if) a predictive talent acquisition strategy can include the use of pre-hire assessments.

Corporate recruiters have a very important and difficult job. They predict who will be a top performer in certain roles and protect against non-performers getting inside the business ecosystem.

Years ago, I served on a board where board members had the most horrible fights and the most destructive interactions. In spite of all that, the most poignant thing was, I knew that they really cared about the company. That idea completely intrigued me.

Anyone attempting to establish a reputation as a consultant—or establish the right rate for her services—will struggle in the initial stages. It’s always a risk to go out on your own and demand fair compensation.

Zombies have an everlasting place in our popular culture—from the scary movies we watched as kids, to Michael Jackson’s Thriller video, to a resurgence of zombie-themed movies such as World War Z and television shows like The Walking Dead.

It’s time to get past the hype and deliver solutions that provide real customer value. O.K. So you’re probably rolling your eyes thinking you’re about to be fed a big steaming bowl of buzz soup. And for good reason.Consider the ubiquity of “Big Data” and the “Internet of Things” (IoT).

An ounce of self-restraint is worth a consulting gig By Mark Goulston A few years ago I gave a presentation to the Institute of Management Consultants on…

"Mind-boggling.” That's one way to describe the pace of change in today's business environment. To succeed, businesses have to be willing to change, innovate and take educated risks. And the old adage “opportunity rarely knocks twice” is still around, simply because it happens to be true.

It's no secret—business is undergoing a sea change as mobile, cloud and analytics platforms spur radical transformations in the way enterprises operate.

Today's business executives are increasingly applying pressure to their Human Resources departments to “use predictive analytics.”

The traditional sense of management consulting sprouted into existence during the Second Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century. Manufacturing methods became more mechanized and electrified, and therefore more efficient; as a result, a need for process improvement emerged.

Born almost exactly 100 years ago in Nashville, Tennessee, Bruce Henderson was in some respects a man ahead of his time. He would have reveled in the current era of “big data” and the business analytics it permits. But then again, that era might never have arrived, or arrived much later, if it hadn't been for the strategy revolution Henderson helped set in motion.

Culture is the glue that binds a firm together and it's the hardest thing for competitors to copy. It plays an essential role in the performance of any business, and as an industry, consulting is highly dependent on the values and loyalty of individuals. Consulting firms rely on the culture and morale within their organizations more than most.

Are you at risk of “getting Uber'd?” With smart devices accepted as the new standard, and more and more start-ups reinventing tried and true industries (like Uber and taxis), ignoring the disruptive qualities of digital is no longer an option. What follows is a set of five “must-haves” that your organization should include in its thinking when developing a digital strategy, as well as three keys for long-term success.

Coaching means many things to many people. Many times a certain technique that is referred to as “coaching,” isn't really coaching at all; it's actually counseling or feedback.

Accountability is crucial to ensuring high performance within an organization. This isn't groundbreaking news! So, why isn't incentivizing accountability a core part of every business? Studies have shown the organizations that thrive with engaged and motivated employees have managers that spend 10 percent to 20 percent of their time on professional and personal team-building activities.

By Paul Maranville When it’s time to hire an entry or mid-level practitioner, the process is typically pretty straight forward: screen prospects,…

Traditional management consulting operating models are being brushed aside by new principles that have firms specializing in a growing number of functional…

What is the value of a human life? Insurance executives and safety analysts deal with this question regularly, but for most people, it’s a difficult…

Global business teams face a bevy of unique challenges. Not only must they overcome the obvious barriers—geographic, linguistic and cultural – but…

I did not start my professional career as a consultant, although I had the opportunity to. Upon receiving my Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering…

As consulting firms look to expand, often international growth receives high consideration as a method of advancement from the leadership team. The consulting…

At Plante Moran, we’re driven by a relentless desire to build the best client advisory service in the country. A critical step in achieving that objective…

I recently spent weeks cleaning out my basement—dusting, mopping and scrubbing my way to cleanliness and organization. Although I basked in the order…

Many consultants chose to go into business for themselves and open consulting firms. Depending on the particular consultant’s expertise and background,…

Though change is inevitable within any organization, getting people to go along with  it can be an arduous task, even when the benefits are clear. Such…

Some call it a mega Ponzi scheme and some call it a speculative bubble. Nevertheless if anything ever has caught the attention of the regulators, investors…

As a consultant, would you recommend your client to outsource their most treasured process, the core of their value chain? If your answer is no- you’re…

By Megha Mathur There’s no question we’re going to be interacting more and more with emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), augmented…

Let’s say your organization is ready to further embrace diversity by committing resources to recruiting and retaining a more diverse talent pool. Perhaps…

Standing up in front of my peers to receive an award as a Global Leader in Consulting I felt strangely uncomfortable, in fact even writing about it makes…

Today, there are more than 600,000 consultants in the United States, which will grow as more young professionals launch their careers. Millennials now…

By Bruce Catanzarite Management consulting and coaching are often paired in a consulting engagement, along with mentoring. Many consultants say they…

Working in the consulting industry provides a unique set of requirements and challenges, such as heavy travel schedules and compressed project timelines.…

By Sarah Skidmore The consulting profession has evolved quite a bit over the past 40 to 50 years. And with the 21st century, comes the unearthing of…

A look at how successful consulting may depend on understanding the difference. Ever wondered why projects go off the rails? I do. It keeps me up at…

Many consultants cringe on the inside when others refer to them as a contractor. On the surface, many think there is little difference between the two.…

Leadership has always been at the forefront of management training. However, the four functions of management depict leadership as one of the four. For…

For years, the application of predictive analytics in supply chain management has been described as “transformative,” a “big opportunity,” the…

Consulting is often a frustrating experience for clients—and no more fulfilling for the consultants concerned even though they get their fee. But consulting…

I have spent the last 30 years of my career in the consulting business; twenty of those at KPMG and the last ten at a regional consultancy, Bridgepoint…

We’ve all heard about the perks of consulting—travel, per diems, cool assignments, and advanced learning. We’ve also heard about the challenges—really…

Being a part of a winning team is often considered a baseline objective for individuals in the professional world. In general, people feel a sense of…

I have been practicing business consulting for more than 12 years now. All my consulting colleagues would agree that any sustainable business transformation…

By Ismail Amla Disruption. As consultants, we love to talk about how radical technology shifts are disrupting everything—the markets we work in,…

I was in the reception area of the Melbourne, Australia office of a global strategy consulting firm, and it took me precisely two seconds to realize…

The digital economy is disrupting business and information technology unlike anytime in modern history. This is enabled by the consumerization of technology,…

Today‘s globalized nature of competitiveness in oil and gas markets is placing more pressure on companies operating in these industries to develop…

Using Manufacturing and Retail Industries as Case Analysis Times are changing with lots of redundancy within the corporate culture of supply chain…

Change is never easy, even under the best circumstances. You can have a brilliant idea and unanimous buy-in from your team, and you’ll still face challenges turning that concept into reality.

Over the past 30-plus years, businesses have spent billions on talent assessments. Many of these are now being used to understand job candidates. Increasingly, businesses are asking how (or if) a predictive talent acquisition strategy can include the use of pre-hire assessments.

Corporate recruiters have a very important and difficult job. They predict who will be a top performer in certain roles and protect against non-performers getting inside the business ecosystem.

Years ago, I served on a board where board members had the most horrible fights and the most destructive interactions. In spite of all that, the most poignant thing was, I knew that they really cared about the company. That idea completely intrigued me.

Anyone attempting to establish a reputation as a consultant—or establish the right rate for her services—will struggle in the initial stages. It’s always a risk to go out on your own and demand fair compensation.

Zombies have an everlasting place in our popular culture—from the scary movies we watched as kids, to Michael Jackson’s Thriller video, to a resurgence of zombie-themed movies such as World War Z and television shows like The Walking Dead.

It’s time to get past the hype and deliver solutions that provide real customer value. O.K. So you’re probably rolling your eyes thinking you’re about to be fed a big steaming bowl of buzz soup. And for good reason.Consider the ubiquity of “Big Data” and the “Internet of Things” (IoT).