Management consulting. Consulting - what is it? Types of consulting

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Rapidly developing technologies do not bypass any sphere of human activity. Innovations touched on technological processes, markets and, of course, the wishes and preferences of customers. That is why most organizations and companies, wanting to remain, so to speak, "in trend", are forced to constantly improve their tactics and strategy.

What is consulting?

Very often in the face of such rapid development, many companies and organizations are acutely aware of the lack of internal resources. That is why they are forced to seek help from highly qualified specialists who provide a kind of service - consulting. What is it?

In the broad sense of the word, consulting is consulting. At its core, this is a special type of intellectual services aimed at finding the best solution in the current situation. This procedure is carried out by experts, a team of specialists, or even entire companies and organizations thatspecialize in this area.

This type of intellectual activity implies not only obtaining highly qualified advice. Experts can offer the client organization the implementation of specific organizational and technical functions.

Definition of consulting

The range of problems that are solved through consulting is quite wide. In addition, the specialization of companies can be very diverse: from narrow-profile, working in one direction of activity (for example, audit and consulting), to the widest, capable of covering a full range of services in this area. Based on this, it follows that each specialist or organization working in this area puts a special meaning into the definition of consulting, which is characterized directly by the very direction of activity.

So, in a broad sense, consulting is a certain form of intellectual activity, the most important task of which is to analyze, identify promising areas of development and use scientific, technical, as well as organizational and economic innovations, taking into account the subject area and client problems.

Consulting is able to resolve many issues related to the economic, managerial, investment activities of the company, with the planning strategy, optimization of the very functioning of the organization, the process of doing business, researching sales markets and its forecasting, etc. In other words, consulting is a kind of ambulance, which is provided by externalexperts in a particular field.

The main goal of this activity is to improve the quality of management of the entire organization, increase the efficiency of the entire company as a whole, as well as increase the productivity of each employee and the entire company.

Consulting. What is it?

Who needs the help of a consulting company? As a rule, first of all, these are enterprises or organizations that at some point found themselves in a critical situation. However, as practice shows, the range of services of consultants is not limited to this. So, in what cases and who can turn to experts?

• First case. When an enterprise, regardless of its state, plans to reshuffle the entire system, which may be associated with the expansion of activities, a change in the form of ownership, a radical change in the range of activities, or a reorientation to other areas of business.
• Second case. When an organization that has a reliable status, in order to successfully position itself in the market and create the necessary image for its partners, turns to the services of consulting experts, audits its activities and brings its results to the attention of potential partners and customers.
• Third case. When an organization or firm is in a critical state (or on the verge of bankruptcy) and cannot independently find a way out of the current situation (lack of experience and internal strength to get out of this situation). In this case, it is advisable to seek help from a consultingcompany.

Forms or types of consulting

• Analytical activity is an analysis, a thorough study and evaluation of the internal economic activities of the organization, its financial position, investment projects, analysis of competitors, markets, etc.
• Forecasting - based on the data obtained as a result of the analysis, the expert, using management consulting methods, makes a so-called forecast in the areas indicated above.
• Consultations on a wide variety of issues related directly to the activities of the organization, sales markets, activities of competitors, etc.
• Revision of the activities of the customer company.
• Direct participation in the activities of the client enterprise - planning, problem solving at the private and general levels, development and implementation of innovative systems, integration, etc.

Main areas of consulting

Different consulting companies define their main activities in different ways, based on their own experience and the specification of the services provided. That is why, in order to identify the main areas, it is worth considering the experience of the Big Six firms, and based on the information received, create a general classification.

The list of services provided by the company is very specific and heterogeneous. In addition, this list is not structured and poorly systematized. This is primarily due to the fact that the companydesigned for the end user, not for the analyst who studies consulting services. By excluding specific areas and sectors of the economy from the general list of services (he alth care, utilities and energy, as well as communications and medicine), you can get a kind of general trend, and based on it, the following classification of consulting services can be distinguished:

1. Consulting in the field of legal services and taxation.
2. Audit, auditing and accounting.
3. Management consulting.

Management consulting

Why is this type of service worth considering separately? In order to answer this question, it is necessary to return to the obtained classification. If auditing activities and accounting, as well as legal services and taxation are excluded from it, then as a result, the range of all other services is reduced to solving problems that are somehow related to management activities (planning, personnel and business management, reorganization of business processes, etc.). d.).

What is governance? First of all, this is a certain impact on the enterprise or personnel as a system as a whole, which serves to achieve specific goals and solve the tasks set to optimize and change the entire system. Management Goals:

• Making the most efficient system currently in place.
• Creating a new system based on existing ones.
• Liquidation of the old system.

Based onof the above, the question naturally arises: what is management consulting? In a broad sense, this is a solution to the general set of problems that are associated with ensuring the management of complex mechanisms by systems in various fields of activity.

Consulting in the field of company management

The need for this type of consulting arises in the event of predicted changes in the activities of an enterprise, deterioration in the results of this activity, or uncertainty about the prospects for further functioning. In this position, the company's management consulting is interdisciplinary and multifunctional. In this case, the work of an expert affects absolutely all aspects of the enterprise, including financial, economic, technological, legal, psychological and social, as well as other areas of the entire organization.

Based on the analysis of the enterprise or firm, the consultant can recommend the best ways of dividing labor between personnel and functional departments, and, at the same time, forms further main tasks of work between structural divisions.

In addition, the services of an expert in the field of consulting can be used to organize decision-making and control systems, information management, as well as to create a specific system designed for instant response in crisis situations. Consultant services can also be directed to the development of investment projects, the purchase of a new company or the merger of several, the coordination of certain financialsystems, as well as determining the real cost of the company being bought.

Information technology consulting

Currently, the improvement of information technology is taking place at a rapid pace and is firmly included in almost every area of activity. That is why consulting in this area, as well as the development and implementation of appropriate systems, is of paramount importance for a company or organization. Consulting, the assessment of which directly depends on the qualifications of a specialist in the field of information technology, consists in conducting research in the field of new and developing innovations, their development trends, and also carries out comprehensive research in the field of computers and general software.

In addition, consulting companies in this field provide up-to-date information on the products and competitiveness of various manufacturing companies, as well as conduct all kinds of activities aimed at finding the right strategy in the field of information technology.

According to the agreement of the client organization, the consulting company takes an active part in the design and creation of the corporate information system, and also integrates software products and ensures the launch, maintenance and maintenance of the entire system. In this case, the consulting company operates as a system integrator.

Consulting and its components

An important aspect in the activities of an organization is the decisionproblems associated with the development and implementation of a marketing policy, as well as the creation and maintenance of the image of the entire enterprise as a whole. The ever-increasing competition no longer allows paying attention to the requests and needs of potential customers - the calculation of the prospects of a particular product or type of activity is becoming more and more relevant. Simply put, the “create a need and satisfy it” system now works. In this case, you should pay attention directly to the management consulting services themselves.

Thus, management consulting can be represented by the following components:

• Organizational management.
• Business reorganization or restructuring: from strategic planning and minor changes to a complete company reorganization.
• Business management.
• Crisis consulting - consulting in the field of restoring the activities of a company or enterprise, as well as solving problems associated with the insolvency of an organization.
• Advisory services related to the merger of several companies or the acquisition of your own new organization.
• Consulting and planning in the field of economic, financial and business activities of enterprises, analysis of investment projects, as well as assistance in preparing financial forecasts.
• Consulting in the field of human resource management (including specialized employee training and staff development), as well as the formation (or improvement) of the corporateculture and the style of personnel management itself.
• Information technology consulting and related services and enterprise information system development and integration.
• Legal consulting.
• Marketing consulting, advertising campaigns and company image building.
• In some enterprises or organizations, it is appropriate to apply anti-crisis consulting.

At the same time, it should be borne in mind that this division into components is conditional, since they are all interconnected and focused on solving one problem, which is called “company management consulting.”

Outsourcing

This is one of the most promising areas of consulting - outsourcing. This is an absolutely innovative approach to increasing the efficiency of an enterprise or firm, which does not require significant costs and is based on the full or partial transfer of routine duties (accounting calculations and reports, personnel management, tax calculation, etc.) to a consulting company in order to focus on solving the main key tasks.

The client organization orders services from experts, thereby completely replacing the structural unit with them. The presented type of outsourcing is classic, it does not require in-depth training in consulting. However, Prize Waterhouse offered a completely different outsourcing option, which boils down to the following: a methodology,applied in this it provides not only the transfer of some functions, but also the selection of highly qualified employees in the enterprise (specialists in one area or another), who subsequently become employees of Prize Waterhouse.

To perform its immediate tasks (the so-called routine functions), the created unit is located on the territory of the customer and carries out its activities there.

Since the main method of management consulting is the process of change itself, it should be carried out using a certain method that would allow the necessary changes to be made with maximum efficiency. Of the variety of methods that exist today, business process reengineering is the best.

From all of the above, it follows that correctly and competently conducted consulting can increase the efficiency of an enterprise or company several times, as well as improve corporate culture, improve the enterprise management process and optimize all the activities of the customer company. In addition, the services of a consulting company can bring a company out of a crisis, preventing its bankruptcy.

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