Alberto Zanzi

COURSE PREPARATION FOR MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS

The explosive growth of the consulting industry in recent years and the controversy surrounding the quality of the consulting function stresses the needs for a better preparation and training of consultants. This article examines the contribution that academia can provide in furthering the development of consultants at different stages in their careers. The research indicates a scarcity of academic course offerings and a lack of comprehensive coverage of essential course elements such as client-based field projects. A template is provided to address the curricular deficiencies detected in the survey of current course offerings.

Developing political intelligence for making feasible decisions

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to propose a model for acquiring political intelligence by describing steps for assessing feasibility that can be used to systematically evaluate a situation. The paper also aims to discuss individual and situational biases to acquiring an accurate political feasibility assessment.Design/methodology/approach – A pre‐ and post‐test method was used to compare a sample of novice managers who received training with the feasibility assessment model to experienced, politically savvy managers.Findings – Assessing the political feasibility of a decision is a skill that can be developed to acquire the political intelligence necessary for todays politically‐laden, uncertain competitive environment.Originality/value – Political intelligence is at the heart of avoiding political blunders and conflict in organizations. When time and money are spent promoting decisions that are unlikely to succeed, managers can derail their careers from backing initiatives from a declining dom...

Academic development for careers in management consulting

Explores the extent to which academic offerings are serving the consulting industry and identifies ways that academia can help. The numbers of management consulting courses, field experiences in consulting and consulting concentrations by graduate business schools were tracked over a three‐year period to assess the current state of offerings. A survey of members of the Academy of Managements Management Consulting Division was conducted to gather perceived developmental needs for career stages and types of consulting. Proposes the potential future of courses in management consulting. Provides suggestions for course offerings to meet developmental needs by career stages of consultants that are currently being overlooked. Offers practical advice to academia to serve the consulting industry better and ideas for the consulting industry to consider in the ongoing development of consultants. Encourages managers who engage consultants to demand better educated consultants. Further research is needed to investigate the developmental needs of internal consultants and the apparent resistance of the consulting industry to turn to academia as a resource.

The consulting career in transition: from partnership to corporate

Purpose – The consulting industry is facing an inflection point as it shifts to being more populated by publicly traded entities than by private firms. Associated career patterns are affected in ways that have not yet been explored.Design/methodology/approach – In this paper we describe the industry shift to public ownership and resulting changes in consulting careers from a psychological contract perspective. We conclude by discussing the impact of emerging career dynamics that could impact the future effectiveness of the consulting industry.Findings – There are dramatic transitions underway regarding career dynamics of professionals in major consultancies. We foresee a troublesome picture in some respects and a promising outlook in other respects for individuals and their firms in the consulting profession.Practical implications – Aspiring consultants will find this paper informative as a way to assess fit with career models offered by consulting firms. Firms can use points in the paper to understand th...

A Three Step Model for the Analysis of Power and Politics in Organizations

A main limitation to the study and teaching of power and politics is the lack of analytical tools needed to effectively examine the complex reality of organizational politics. This, in turn, has substantially limited the possibility of rationalizing political manifestations, has reinforced the tendency to consider political phenomena as generally negative and counterproductive to a rational management approach, and has prevented this field of study from entering the mainstream of organizational behavior research (Allen et al., 1979; Pfeffer, 1981, pp. 9-18). The purpose of this article is to present an operational and teaching model for the analysis of power and politics in organizations, using a comprehensive and factual approach. With the exception of March’s concept of business firms as political coalitions (1962), early organizational behavior researchers in the United States have centered their attention on power manifestations at the individual level : power bases (French & Raven, 1968), personality factors of politics in organizations (Zaleznik, 1970), individual political tactics (Strauss, 1962), and personal power (McClelland, 1970). This microoriented approach limited political analysis to the interpersonal and small group level, and did not expand to inter-unit power relationships, coalition formation, structural modification and strategic decision making, further reinforcing the irrational perception of power oriented behavior. Recently, a positive evolution has taken the form of more sociological, inter-unit and structural orientation in the study of power and politics. This

Succession and Governance Across Generations: A Comparative Study of the United States and Italy

This comparative study of American and Italian family-owned firms focuses on two key aspects of family business management: succession and governance. This study also explored the impact of generation on these variables.