Publications

November 1999 (Revised April 2002)
Case

Tim Hertach at GL Consulting (A)

By: Ashish Nanda, Thomas J. DeLong and Scot H. Landry

Ten years into his career after graduating from HBS, Tim Hertach discovers billing irregularities at his consulting firm. He must decide whether (and how) to challenge senior management or to stay quiet and protect his career. View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Ethics; Accounting; Consulting Industry

July 2002 (Revised December 2002)
Case

Mercer Management Consulting (A)

By: Thomas J. DeLong and Michael Echenberg

Insurance giant Marsh & McLennan acquires management consulting firms Temple, Barker & Sloane (TBS) in 1987 and Strategic Planning Associates (SPA) in 1990 and sets out to merge the two. The merger proceeds slowly and painfully. Following the February 1990 merger,... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Model; Decision Making; Organizational Culture; Personal Development and Career; Horizontal Integration; Consulting Industry

April 1996
Case

Deloitte & Touche Consulting Group

Examines two dilemmas often faced by an operations consultant. First, the dual responsibility to both client and consulting firm. Second, the management of the often competing pressure to deliver immediate results, at the same time laying the foundation for long-term... View Details

Keywords: Operations; Problems and Challenges; Consulting 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

January 1990 (Revised June 1995)
Case

Colliers International Property Consultants

By: Nitin Nohria

Describes the origins, organizational structure, management practices, and use of information technology (IT) in Colliers, a real estate network. Colliers provides local firms with a way to maintain local autonomy while gaining national and international coverage.... View Details

Keywords: Property; Organizational Structure; Information Technology; Management Practices and Processes; Partners and Partnerships; Business Model; Mission and Purpose; Business Growth and Maturation; Conflict and Resolution; Quality; Real Estate Industry

July 1998
Supplement

Organizational Change at Andersen Consulting - EMEAI

By: Ashish Nanda

Supplements Andersen Consulting - EMEAI: Reorganization for Revitalization. An alternative to video Organizational Change at Anderson Consulting - EMEAI, Video. View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Consulting Industry

October 2013
Article

Consulting on the Cusp of Disruption

By: Clayton M. Christensen, Dina Wang and Derek C. M. van Bever

Consulting fundamental business model has not changed in more than 100 years: very smart outsiders go into organizations for a finite period of time and recommend solutions for the most difficult problems confronting their clients. But at traditional... View Details

Keywords: Disruptive Innovation; Consulting Industry

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September 2009 (Revised February 2011)
Case

Eden McCallum: A Network-Based Consulting Firm (A)

By: Heidi K. Gardner and Robert G. Eccles

Eden McCallum pioneered the network-based ("virtual") consulting firm model in the U.K. Contracting freelance consultants on a per-project basis keeps overheads lean so that Eden McCallum's fees are a fraction of the big firms' rates. Their flexible, low-cost model has... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Decision Choices and Conditions; Financial Crisis; Growth and Development Strategy; Expansion; Consulting Industry; United Kingdom

February 1998 (Revised April 1999)
Case

Medical Consultants Network, Inc.

By: Paul W. Marshall and Jefferson C. Grahling

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Growth and Development Strategy; Health Industry

June 2020 (Revised March 2024)
Case

Deloitte's Pixel (A): Consulting with Open Talent

By: Michael L. Tushman, John Winsor and Kerry Herman

Deloitte Consulting’s General Manager Balaji Bondili, head of Pixel, considers how best to grow Deloitte Consulting’s use of open (on-demand) talent, as consulting companies and their clients face transformative change in the way client engagements and projects get... View Details

Keywords: Disruption; Talent and Talent Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Consulting Industry; United States

13 May 2013
Blog Post

Becoming a Consulting Expert

failure. Consulting isn’t about learning everything there is to know about every company or industry you work for; it is about quickly understanding the KEY aspects of the business that will allow you to... View Details

Keywords: Consulting

November 2011
Teaching Note

InterfaceRAISE: Sustainability Consulting (TN)

By: Robert G. Eccles and Michael W. Toffel

Keywords: Consulting Industry

July 2002 (Revised December 2002)
Case

Mercer Management Consulting (B)

By: Thomas J. DeLong and Michael Echenberg

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Consulting Industry

June 1995 (Revised May 2004)
Teaching Note

Consulting Partners & Co. TN

By: William J. Bruns Jr.

Keywords: Consulting Industry

September 1998 (Revised May 1999)
Case

Strategic Services at Andersen Consulting

By: Thomas J. DeLong, Catherine M. Conneely and Abby J. Hansen PHD

Bill Copacino, Andersen Consulting's managing partner of Strategic Services Americas, needed to submit his recommendation to Peter Fuchs, Strategic Services worldwide director, for the operating plan for Strategic Services Americas for fiscal year 1999. Strategic... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Recruitment; Organizational Culture; Expansion; Business Units; Consulting Industry

July 2010 (Revised February 2011)
Supplement

Eden McCallum: A Network-Based Consulting Firm (B)

By: Heidi K. Gardner and Erin McFee

To weather the 2009 financial crisis, Eden McCallum's cofounders must renegotiate partners' compensation, attract independent consultants to meet different client demands, and reassure their Advisory Board that their network-based consulting model remains sound. The... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Decision Choices and Conditions; Financial Crisis; Entrepreneurship; Governing and Advisory Boards; Compensation and Benefits; Partners and Partnerships; Consulting Industry

August 1971
Case

Sigma Consultants Inc. (A)

By: Joseph L. Bower

Keywords: Consulting Industry

October 1995 (Revised May 2006)
Case

Andersen Consulting - EMEAI: Reorganization for Revitalization

By: Ashish Nanda and Michael Y. Yoshino

Vernon Ellis, managing partner of Andersen Consulting -- Europe, Middle East, Africa, and India (AC -- EMEAI), is considering how best to reorganize. AC -- EMEAI has grown rapidly over the past five years to become Europe's largest consulting operation. However, Ellis... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Business or Company Management; Organizational Design; Growth Management; Cost vs Benefits; Leading Change; Management Teams; Consulting Industry; Europe; Africa; India; Middle East

April 2010
Case

George Martin at The Boston Consulting Group (A)

By: Leslie A. Perlow and Kerry Herman

George Martin, managing partner at The Boston Consulting Group, is worried as some of his best performers have recently pulled him aside to discuss the challenges they face managing the demands of their work lives with their desire for more predictable time with their... View Details

Keywords: Problems and Challenges; Work-Life Balance; Management Teams; Interpersonal Communication; Jobs and Positions; Employees; Consulting Industry; Boston