CORPORATE CONSULTING CHALLENGES

Phuoc D. Nguyen

Sandberg and Werr (2003) indicate primary challenges for corporate consulting (CC) firms which are mission challenges, identity challenges, and structure challenges. Sandberg and Werr classify CC firms into “Expert CCs, Know-How CCs, Spearhead CCs, and Integration CCs based on consulting firms’ mission, typical services, and rationale.” (p. 63). Their CCs classification is confused between engineering & technology consulting and management consulting such as Expert CCs and Know-How CCs their typical services include engineering consulting, and spearhead CCs’ typical services include technology consulting. Additionally, they have not classified management consulting services such as coaching in leadership and management development, general management, communication, ERP, e-business, e-commerce, operations management, knowledge management, productivity, and performance improvement, TQM, management systems, company transformation, corporate social responsibility, etc. into the classification table of four generic types of corporate consultancy. This is a mission challenge for CC firms because CC firms should provide ‘all in one’ consulting services based on their core competencies and human capital to satisfy the increasingly diverse consulting needs of businesses and organizations around the world.

Sadler (1998) suggests “The competency approach is a tool rather than a technique and by itself does little. However, it can be the underpinning of management training and development, career planning, culture change, and performance management as well as the management of recruitment. It is not surprising therefore that some consulting firms have developed their own methods for identifying competencies.” (p. 319). Competency identification and development for consulting firms is also a great challenge because consulting firms can identify their competencies but they very difficult to recruit and train trainee consultants who are graduates from higher education institutions in response to competencies identification which is based on their mission in a global consulting environment. Furthermore, business and leadership schools and relevant schools which there are not enough attention to consulting classes education in business and leadership undergraduate and graduate programs. Therefore, consulting education and training that almost done by consulting firms and consulting associations. There is not a close connection between business and leadership schools, relevant schools, consulting associations, public education agencies, and consulting firms to establish appropriate consulting curriculums to educate and train consultants systematically. Some higher education institutions and consulting firms have their own consulting education and training programs spontaneously. These are also other challenges to doing consulting.