How does the consulting intervention process adapt to the client context?

Haworth, Garry W.

Title: How does the consulting intervention process adapt to the client context?
Creator: Haworth, Garry W.
Relation: University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
Resource Type: thesis
Date: 2006
Description: Masters Research - Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
Description: This thesis investigates if clients of management consulting interventions can be identified by the way the client organisation makes and enacts strategy, that it, the client's strategic posture. The developed typology identified four types of clients: proactive, interactive, reactive and crisis type clients. The client typology provides a method for identifying clients and formed the theoretical framework for the research. The typology also provides a means to investigate if the consulting intervention process is adapted for each of the client types. A review of the consulting intervention process steps is performed and the style of consulting used by the interventionist consultants to identify adaptation of the consulting intervention process to context of the client. Context of the client that inhibit the consulting intervention process are identified and if clients evolve in their strategic posture during a consulting intervention. A selection of ten management consultants from the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC) using a qualitative case research method provided eighteen cases to compare and contrast the four client types. A case research interview protocol developed using the steps in the consulting literature provided the basis for within case and across case analysis which investigated seven propositions developed for the research. The findings derived from the analysis make contributions to management consulting intervention knowledge and practice. The research provided empirical support for the use of strategic posture of the client as a method to identify types of consulting clients, adaptation of consulting intervention processes and styles for types of consulting clients. The research also provides partial explanation for the catalytic effect and pervasiveness of management consultants in all levels of business and government, particularly in decision making and strategy formation of consulting clients. Preferred styles of consulting for each client type are empirically supported. Adaptation of the preferred style of consulting as the client evolves in their strategic posture during a consulting intervention and the use of concurrency of the consulting intervention process steps to adapt the intervention process add to the body of knowledge and practice methods of management consulting.
Subject: managment consulting; client typology; business management
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1312574
Identifier: uon:22431
Language: eng

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