An Ancient Greek Philosophy Of Management Consulting

Management consultancy practice is particularly concerned with helping clients implement strategic organisational change. But what exactly are organisations, and management consultancy interventions in them? Management consulting is said to be a knowledge-intensive industry. But what kind of knowledge do management consultants possess, and how far can we rely on it? Management consultants are often criticised for unethical exploitation of their clients. But how ought management consultants to behave in order to meet acceptable ethical standards? These are questions about the philosophical topics of ontology, epistemology and ethics. The ancient Greek philosophers thought deeply about these topics, and their ideas remain fresh and relevant even to so modern a subject matter as management consulting. Writing between the end of the sixth and the end of the fourth century BCE, these philosophers were drawing upon an intellectual tradition that was very different from our own, and were responding to social and economic conditions that were wholly unlike ours. Approaching these philosophical questions from a perspective that is radically different from our own, their work provides a rich resource for novel thinking about management consulting. From the speculations of the Presocratic philosophers Heraclitus, Parmenides, Leucippus and Democritus about the nature of the universe to the thought of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle about the nature of human beings, this book uses the work of these great thinkers as a lens through which to study major philosophical questions about management consulting. Examined in this way, many established assumptions and principles of management consultancy practice seem questionable, and new ways of thinking possible.

This book gives an overview of ways to work as a management consultant, including relationships with clients, ethics, pricing, contracts and some basic tools for delivering consulting services. This book was written for those who want to work in this area, for existing consultants, and also for managers and buyers of management consulting services. Quotes from the book: "This is the book I wish I could have read myself about 30 years ago when I first started my career as a young management consultant." "When young people are asked about their dream job, management consulting is often high on the list." "... when I was asked by the managing partner of the consulting firm what kind of consultant I wanted to become, my reply was honest surprise: Are there really different kinds?!" "What is the most important skill for a leader or manager to master? I would say it is the decision-making process." "Perhaps the most important strategic decision in management consulting is how to price your services, both how much you charge and what for." "Yes, I claim that to understand the internal and interpersonal politics of any organization, is a necessary prerequisite for a good management consultant." "I am sure that many organisational problems are based more on politics than on policies…" "… it will draw significant resources away into internal disintegration and fights, rather than freeing the same energy for external opportunities and tasks."

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.

Join Nataša Pantović, Maltese and Serbian researcher of ancient world’s, on a mind-boggling tour of history and sounds - from the Ancient Sumerian Priestess Sin Liturgy right up to the development of Ancient Greek and Cyrillic alphabet. This new novel contains a dialogue between two European cultures, Roman and Greek from an Ancient Slavic perspective, an intimate encounter of Balkan, its history and culture, a glimpse into the evolution of Ancient Egyptian’s, Ancient Maltese, Ancient Greek - Ionic and Slavic sounds

A former management consultant traces his rise as an unlikely business guru, sharing scathing critiques of popular business authorities from Frederick Taylor to Tom Peters while offering insights into the management industry itself.

Now in its second edition, this unique and authoritative guide provides a description of the management consultancy profession worldwide, together with advice on how to choose and use its services effectively. With contributions from leading practitioners, the guide is essential reading for all purchasers of management consultancy services. Part One identifies the parameters and definitions of management consultancy. It presents overviews of the industry's origins and evolution, the present status of the leading multinational management consultancies and some of the global forces shaping the development of management consultancy. Part Two is devoted to ethics and best practice in management consultancy from a number of perspectives. Central to these discussions is the international development of the Certified Management Consultant (CMC) qualification. Part Three scrutinises the life of the client-consultant relationship, focusing on what clients can do to make the consultant's role effective and their working relationship productive. Part Four comprises snapshots by leading practitioners of thirteen key consultancy fields, ranging from strategy and marketing through change management and process re-engineering to the newer disciplines of information and knowledge management, m-commerce, ERP and e-business. Part Five consists of a general account of consulting in developing countries, followed by profiles of 26 country-by-country management consultancy markets.

"This book is of the kind you always wanted but didn't think would or could ever exist: the universal field theory of problem solving." Tom Sommerlatte Typically today's tasks in management and consulting include project management, running workshops and strategic work - all complex activities, which require a multitude of skills and competencies. This standard work, which is also well accepted amongst consultants, gives you a reference or cookbook-style access to the most important tools, including a rating of each tool in terms of applicability, ease of use and effectiveness. In this considerably enlarged third edition, Nicolai Andler presents 152 of such tools, grouped into task-specific categories: Definition of a Situation/Problem - Information Gathering - Creativity - Information Consolidation - Goal Setting - Strategic, Technical and Organisational Analysis - Evaluation and Decision Making - Project Management. Checklists and Application Scenarios further enhance the use of this toolbox. Information provided by this book is: - comprehensive and sufficiently wide in scope, combined with a practical level of detail without being too academic - reliable and proven in numerous real implemented cases - easy to apply due to many different search options, checklists, application scenarios and guiding instructions. Written by a professional consultant, business analyst and business coach, this book is a unique reference work and guide for those wanting to learn about or who are active in the fields of consulting, project management and problem solving in general, both in business and engineering: business coaches and management trainers, workshop moderators, consultants and managers, project managers, lecturers and students.

In The World's Newest Profession Christopher McKenna offers a history of management consulting in the twentieth century. Although management consulting may not yet be a recognized profession, the leading consulting firms have been advising and reshaping the largest organizations in the world since the 1920s. This groundbreaking study details how the elite consulting firms, including McKinsey & Company and Booz Allen & Hamilton, expanded after US regulatory changes during the 1930s, how they changed giant corporations, nonprofits, and the state during the 1950s, and why consultants became so influential in the global economy after 1960. As they grew in number, consultants would introduce organizations to 'corporate culture' and 'decentralization' but they faced vilification for their role in the Enron crisis and for legitimating corporate blunders. Through detailed case studies based on unprecedented access to internal files and personal interviews, The World's Newest Profession explores how management consultants came to be so influential within our culture and explains exactly what consultants really do in the global economy.