VALUE CO-CREATION PROCESSES AND MANAGEMENT CONSULTING

Phuoc D. Nguyen

Values are similar between organizational leaders and consultants and between client and consulting firm which are very rare in relationships of organizational leaders and consultants and relationships of client and consulting firm. The clients are not interested in the identification of these values differences and similarities. Whether or not an independent consultant or the consulting firm identifies these values differences and similarities first to sign consulting contracts and implement consulting projects. It is the value co-creation or co-production process that is integrated into the consulting process.

Bagdoniene and Valkauskiene (2018) based on Gronroos & Voima’s (2013) Value Co-Creation Processes suggest a model of working together to understand value co-creation processes in professional service delivery including consulting service. “Value co-creation processes as joint service provider and client attempts – Value co-creation arises during the formation and implementation of business strategies, service development or staff training projects; when companies find out the potential possibilities for their business growth.” (p. 109). The input of value co-creation processes is the difference or similarity of the client values and consulting firm values. It is very important to co-create values throughout the consulting and training process to develop the potential possibilities for client and consulting firm business growth.

Aarikka-Stenroos and Jaakkola (2012) suggest the Tentative framework for value co-creation as a joint problem-solving process. “Supplier resources – specialized knowledge and skills, diagnosis skills, professional judgment, methods, tools. Collaborative process – joint problem-solving process towards the optimal value-in-use: Problem identification; solution; implementation; value-in-use. Customer resources – information about needs and goals, information about business.” (p. 17). The output of value co-creation is the optimal value-in-use, problem-solving process is one of the consulting process steps. Based on client needs, goals, and information the consulting firm uses its skills, knowledge, methods, and appropriate tools to diagnose problems, collect data, analyze data, suggest possible solutions, develop and evaluate alternative solutions, suggest action proposals, train and develop client staff, plan solutions implementation, instruct its client to implement solutions, monitor solutions implementation, suggest new work methods, and maintain and monitor new work methods to co-create values.

Payne, Storbacka, and Frow (2007) define “Processes include the procedures, tasks, mechanisms, activities, and interactions which support the co-creation of value.” (p. 85). The procedures, tasks, and activities are hard elements in the value co-creation process. While mechanisms, interactions, and client-consulting firm relationships experience are soft elements in the value co-creation process. The framework suggests the consulting firm plans the value co-creation process and creates opportunities and motivation for the value co-creation to its client through cognition creation to manage the emotion and change behavior.