Publications

February 1997 (Revised September 1998)
Case

American Management Systems, Inc.: The Knowledge Centers

By: Dorothy A. Leonard and Sylvia Sensiper

Senior management at AMS, a business and information technology consulting company, is growing at 28% annually and assimilating 1,800 new hires a year. AMS has recently instituted a new knowledge management strategy, a group of six knowledge centers (virtual... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Innovation and Management; Technological Innovation; Knowledge Management; Management Teams; Business Strategy; Consulting Industry; United States

January 1997 (Revised February 1998)
Case

Elsie Y. Cross Associates, Inc. and CoreStates Financial Corp.

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Thomas Dretler

A consulting firm specializing in diversity and organizational change assists an 18,000-employee bank with a massive culture change effort. View Details

Keywords: Change; Size; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Diversification; Consulting Industry; Consulting Industry

June 1996 (Revised January 2000)
Case

McKinsey & Co.: Managing Knowledge and Learning

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Describes the development of McKinsey & Co. as a worldwide management consulting firm from 1926 to 1996. In particular, it focuses on the way in which McKinsey has developed structures, systems, processes, and practices to help it develop, transfer, and disseminate... View Details

Keywords: Management; Managerial Roles; Management Practices and Processes; Competitive Advantage; Global Range; Knowledge Dissemination; Business Processes; Consulting Industry

May 1996 (Revised May 1997)
Case

Colliers International Property Consultants, Inc.: Managing a Virtual Organization

By: Lynda M. Applegate and Carin-Isabel Knoop

In less than 20 years, the real estate firm Colliers International expanded into a federation of 180 offices with close to 4,500 professionals in over 30 countries. Because Colliers expanded by signing up existing firms strong in their local markets, its leaders had to... View Details

Keywords: Demand and Consumers; Globalized Firms and Management; Management Practices and Processes; Service Operations; Information Technology; Organizational Structure; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Strategy; Budgets and Budgeting; Real Estate Industry

November 1995 (Revised August 1996)
Case

Colliers International Property Consultants, Inc.: Organizational Integration

By: Michael Y. Yoshino and Carin-Isabel Knoop

Keywords: Organizational Design; Integration; Consulting Industry; Consulting Industry

June 1995 (Revised June 1996)
Case

Hawthorne (A): The Compensation Consulting Marketplace

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Geoffrey Love

Keywords: Markets; Compensation and Benefits; Strategy

June 1995 (Revised June 1996)
Case

Hawthorne (B): The Hawthorne Compensation Consulting Practice

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Geoffrey Love

Keywords: Markets; Compensation and Benefits; Strategy

November 1994
Case

Bain & Company: International Expansion

By: Michael Y. Yoshino and J. Peter Williamson

Bain & Co., a leading strategy consulting firm, faces major strategic and organizational issues regarding global expansion. The Bain partners must choose a course among many exciting and attractive opportunities for growth. Also explores organizational and managerial... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Management; Expansion; Global Strategy; Decision Making; Organizations; Partners and Partnerships; Consulting Industry

April 1993 (Revised May 1994)
Case

General Dynamics and Computer Sciences Corporation: Outsourcing the IS Function (A)

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Katherine Seger

Designed to generate discussion on the issues of outsourcing from the perspective of a firm thinking about turning over its IS activities to a third-party vendor. View Details

Keywords: Management Systems; Management Style; Information Technology; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Business Strategy; Economic Systems; Business or Company Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Business Processes; Employment; Emerging Markets; Activity Based Costing and Management; Consulting Industry; Consulting Industry

March 1992 (Revised April 1995)
Case

Saatchi & Saatchi Co. PLC: Corporate Strategy

By: David J. Collis

Saatchi & Saatchi, founded in 1970, became the world's largest advertising agency in 1986. It then diversified into consulting and other managerial areas before crashing in 1989. Under a new CEO, the company restructured and refocused on its advertising agencies. View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Globalized Firms and Management; Corporate Strategy; Diversification; Advertising Industry

May 1991 (Revised March 2018)
Teaching Note

Automation Consulting Services

By: Robert Simons

Teaching Note for 190-053 View Details

Keywords: Strategy And Execution; Management Control Systems; Levers Of Control; Consulting Industry

September 1990
Case

Bain & Co., Inc.: Growing the Business

By: Michael Y. Yoshino

Raises management issues facing Bain & Co. in formulating its future global strategy and implementation of that strategy. View Details

Keywords: Global Strategy; Management; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Strategy; Expansion; Consulting Industry; Consulting Industry

February 1990 (Revised July 1992)
Case

Whistler Corp. (A)

By: Gary P. Pisano

Describes the circumstances surrounding Whistler Corp.'s decision whether or not to continue manufacturing operations in the United States. The company had been experiencing severe problems in its domestic manufacturing operations and was thus unable to compete with... View Details

Keywords: Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Production; Problems and Challenges; Competitive Strategy; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States

November 1989 (Revised April 2018)
Case

Automation Consulting Services

By: Robert Simons and Hilary Weston

Illustrates the management control challenges that are associated with rapid growth and geographic expansion. Situated at an offsite Executive Committee Retreat. The three founding partners of a specialized consulting firm are grappling with several difficult questions... View Details

Keywords: Geographic Location; Governance Controls; Policy; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Teams; Expansion; Consulting Industry