Purpose: to acquaint students with the pages of the biography of A.S. Pushkin Tasks: ...
Management consulting began to develop in the early 50s of the last century. It was from this time International organization labor began to pay significant attention to the development of services management consulting and dissemination of experience in participating countries. In Russia, the starting point for the development of consulting is considered to be the 90s, when the emergence and formation of private business began.
Fundamentals of Management Consulting
As defined by the European Federation of Economics and Management Consultants, management consulting is the provision of independent advice and assistance on management issues, which may include identifying and assessing problems and opportunities, making recommendations for appropriate action and helping to implement them. the main goal management consulting- increasing the efficiency of the company and identifying factors that prevent this. The quality of the solution to the problem should be as high as possible while respecting the time and financial constraints. It is necessary not only to develop ways to improve the existing situation, but also to show possible ways to independently solve similar problems in the future, that is, to develop the client's skills in analysis, assessment and effective action.
The degree of client involvement in the process depends on the type of service, but if the client does not participate at all, the consultant's performance will be minimal.
In the process of reaching main goal a number of tasks can be solved in different directions, respectively, according to the types of tasks, management consulting can be conditionally divided into four main groups.
- Strategic consulting... Developing strategies to achieve long-term and short-term goals and detailed plans for their implementation. Strategic consulting helps you build an effective business model.
- Marketing Consulting... Research and development marketing strategy companies.
- HR consulting... Analysis of the activities of management personnel, including certification and development of recommendations based on the results of its implementation. Development of personnel motivation systems and their implementation.
- Building a management system in a company- analysis and optimization of systems management accounting: distribution of powers, functions, responsibilities, creation of a system of business processes and a system of forecasting and information exchange, building an optimal structural and functional organization scheme.
The main principles of management consulting as a service are competence, concreteness, consistency, creativity and efficiency.
The main regulatory documents in the field of management consulting are:
- Constitution of the Russian Federation (Articles 8 and 74);
- Civil Code of the Russian Federation (Article 128 and Chapter 39);
- Federal Law of the Russian Federation of July 27, 2006 No. 149-FZ "On Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection";
- Federal Law of the Russian Federation of July 27, 2006 No. 152-FZ "On Personal Data";
- Federal Law of the Russian Federation of December 30, 2008 No. 307-FZ “On Auditing”.
On a note
Unfortunately, in Russia there is still no separate law that defines the concepts, essence, principles of consulting and the responsibility of consultants.
Grounds for ordering management consulting services
Most often, heads of companies turn to specialists in management consulting for help in crisis situations, when not only a successful future, but also the existence of the company as a whole, depends on the further development strategy. According to the consultants themselves, there are two categories of companies most in need of management consulting services:
- Stable reformers... This can be an expansion, a change in the type of activity or form of ownership, a merger with another company. In order for the changes to take place without prejudice to the company, specialist advice is required. For example, the services of a consultant are often used by firms moving from the status of "family" to the category of medium and large, with the number of employees from 500 to 1000 people.
- Large companies whose owners want to receive objective information about the state of affairs with the aim of transition from current operational management to strategy management. The task of the consultant is to make this process as transparent and painless as possible, completely eliminating the possibility of losing the business.
However, other situations are possible when management consulting can bring tangible benefits:
- The need to automate business processes. Usually, in this situation, a preliminary survey of the enterprise is always carried out and the identification of the need for reorganization.
- Search for new ways to compete by building a new marketing policy.
- Desire to ensure the reliability and safety of the company's development and strengthening its reputation in the eyes of partners and customers.
The results that the firm receives from management consulting can be divided into several groups: direct and indirect, quantitative and qualitative. (see Table 1).
Table 1... Management Consulting Results
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RESULTS |
Direct |
Indirect |
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Quantitative |
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Qualitative |
|
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As an example, we can cite a situation from the practice of the KSK group company.
Young construction company, working on a large project worth 30 million rubles, ordered a management consulting service. During the implementation of this project, problems constantly arose, resulting in the risk of missed deadlines and receiving a large fine from the customer. During the consulting process, it was revealed that the company lacks a clearly built organizational structure.
The operational and control functions were separated, which allowed the owner to get an objective opinion on the state of affairs and make the right management decision. Also, the main departments of the company were highlighted and the areas of responsibility of each of them were formulated. A step-by-step plan for the implementation of all changes was prepared for the client. This decision helped to implement an important project for the client, avoid a contract fine of 2.4 million rubles, and provided the company with the opportunity to develop and increase the amount of work. The cost of implementing the KSK group project amounted to 1 million rubles, ROI (Return On Investment, "return on investment") - 140%.
Management consulting technologies
In modern management consulting, three main approaches are usually distinguished:
- Expert approach... It consists in studying the existing structure company management, in identifying its features and problem areas, in the development of expert recommendations and their implementation in practice. At the same time, the expert's opinion is practically not discussed, he independently makes all decisions, and the client's duty is only to provide the necessary conditions for the consultant's work. Expert consulting can be carried out in several forms - advice (recommendation), a client's question - a consultant's answer, a written report (draft, analytical note), express analysis, in-depth analysis. At the same time, the effectiveness of expert consulting directly depends on the level of competence of the expert himself, his professionalism and the client's understanding of the proposed recommendations, combined with the willingness and ability to fulfill them. An expert approach is advisable to apply in cases where the problem is not related to specific circumstances in the client's company, there is no need for deep diagnostics. In this case, the client needs the help of an expert who offers a ready-made standard solution or gaining knowledge of standard procedures, norms and standards.
On a note
There are no experts who are 100% objective and competent. Each of the specialists will conclude with his personal experience, attitude towards the client, his understanding of the task and vision of the situation.
- Project approach... This approach is targeted and is the creation and development of specific projects in a particular area of the firm. It allows you to focus all resources on solving problems in one direction, carry out targeted consulting, plan the desired results and ensure their achievement. Stages of project consulting:
- drawing up a task for a project;
- stage-by-stage preparation of the project with the participation of the client's specialists and stage-by-stage delivery;
- providing consultations necessary for the implementation of the project;
- participation of the consultant in the implementation of the project to the extent determined by the client.
- Process approach does not imply a ready-made solution to the problem. In this case, the consultant helps the client develop his own way to fix the problem, using various techniques. Process method requires the active participation of the client, and the counseling itself is viewed as a process consisting of certain actions using certain technologies, tools and methods. Consulting takes into account the specifics of the company as much as possible and is aimed at carrying out systemic changes in it. During the process consulting, methods are used aimed at maximum interaction with the client: organizational diagnostics and organizational intervention. Diagnostics is aimed at collecting information about the state of the company by observing activities from the inside, conducting individual and group surveys, studying documents. The diagnostic result is a report. Organizational interventions are associated with the impact on the company, with the aim of introducing into its activities necessary changes and securing them. The most important condition for effective process consulting is the willingness of the people participating in it to actively interact with the consultant, analyzing problems and developing solutions.
In some cases, management consulting requires a combination of all three approaches to achieve the desired result.
Consulting methods
There is a great variety of management consulting methods, the most popular (if not traditional) of which in Russia are SWOT analysis and business coaching.
The abbreviation SWOT fully reflects the very essence of the analysis (see figure):
S- power ( strength);
W- weakness ( weakness);
O- opportunities ( opportunites);
T- Problems ( troubles).
Rice. SWOT Analysis Model
A SWOT analysis helps answer the following questions:
- Does the company use in its strategy strengths or distinctive advantages? If the company does not have such advantages, what of its strengths could they become?
- Are the weaknesses of the company its most vulnerable points in competitive struggle? Precisely they do not provide an opportunity to use any favorable circumstances? What are the weaknesses that need to be corrected in terms of strategy?
- What opportunities can give a company a chance to successful development using her current access to resources and the current skill level of her staff?
There are three methods of SWOT analysis:
- Express SWOT- the most common view that helps to identify the strengths of the company. It is these parties identified in the analysis, combined with external capabilities, that are capable of countering threats. In addition, the SWOT analysis also identifies weaknesses.
- Summary SWOT-analysis makes it possible to obtain information on the quantitative assessment of factors identified using other methods, as well as to develop a strategy and activities to achieve strategic goals.
- Mixed SWOT Analysis is a combination of the two previous types.
SWOT analysis can be used to analyze the factors of the competitive environment, planning and implementation of company strategies, and competitive intelligence. Its advantages include ease of implementation and efficiency of use, identification of connections between the company's capabilities and real-life problems, between strong and weaknesses, no need for extensive information for calculations, definition further prospects activities of the company, the ability to assess the indicators of profitability.
The shortcomings of SWOT analysis include the lack of time dynamics and quantitative and evaluative indicators in it.
Business coaching
The word "coaching" is translated from in English as "training" or "training". Business coaching is understood as a method of individual work with clients aimed at jointly finding ways to solve a problem, developing the ability to see these ways, make informed decisions and be responsible for them. With the help of coaching, the customer gets the opportunity to reach a new level of understanding of business processes in his company, to formulate a development strategy and ways to achieve strategic goals.
Several methods can be used in business coaching:
- Methods of testing, training and conducting business games... According to experts, the information obtained remains in memory for a long time if all channels of information transfer are used and practical exercises are held, allowing in a game situation to check various options for solving the client's problems and choose the most optimal one.
- Methods for enhancing creative thinking... These include brainstorming, the Delphi method (used in the event that gathering a group is not possible and consists in collecting individual opinions anonymously), the method expert assessments, the goal tree method and scenarios, which are logical descriptions of possible events, taking into account various factors.
- Neurolinguistic programming method.
- Nominal group method... It is used in cases where it is necessary to identify and compare several individual opinions in order to obtain a decision that one person cannot make in a short time.
- Organizational self-test methods... With their help, employees of the company can independently establish the signs that characterize the state of the organization. Self-diagnosis leads to self-analysis of the participants and contributes to their self-development.
Business coaching professionals can use a combination of several methods to provide the most effective results... Coaching brings positive results if it is used for those employees of the company who, by their nature, are obliged to make independent decisions, but at the same time have teamwork skills.
Stages of service delivery
The management consulting process includes several stages (see Table 2). The very first step towards the implementation of a consulting project is the client's awareness that he has a problem that he would like to solve with the help of consultants.
Table 2. Stages and steps in the counseling process
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Stages and stages |
Procedures |
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|
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Training |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Completion |
|
Implementation of a project within the framework of management consulting can last from several days to several months, depending on the size of the company and the complexity of the task at hand.
How to choose a consulting company?
We addressed this question to Denis Predein, head of the Management Consulting practice at KSK Group:
“If it becomes necessary to involve a consulting agency, pay attention to several important factors. Of course, this is the company's work experience, a staff of experts, the presence of publications in the professional press, a list of clients ... But the most important criterion for choosing in attracting business consultants is their ability to concisely and clearly express their thoughts, awaken in the client fresh ideas, identify capable goals and justify ways to achieve them.
Many managers and some consultants are unable to answer a simple question: "What is strategic consulting?" Often this service means multi-page analytical reports filed into a folder, endless SWOT analyzes, alternative business strategies ... At the same time, strategic consulting is an expert assistance to the management in finding answers to two questions:
- What goal should the business strive for?
- How can we reach this goal?
The answers to them allow you to get out of the "fog" into which managers often wander in crisis situations, being under the yoke of solving tactical problems. Answers to them allow us to abstract from the daily business fuss and see what is called the light at the end of the tunnel - clearly formulated, achievable, measurable in time and in financial indicators purpose. Answers to them allow you to concentrate on specific means and stages of achieving the goal. The approved action plan, depending on the specific task, can be “titled” as “Increasing the company's value by 2 times in three years”, “Reducing production costs by 15% in 3 years” or “Increasing net profit by 5% annually for 5 years ". To solve such problems, there is a KSK group.
For more than 20 years of management consulting, we have hundreds of successfully completed projects of varying complexity and industry focus, being one of the leaders in Russia in strategic, tax and legal consulting (according to rating agency"Expert RA" for 2015). And, by the way, with us you can get an initial consultation for free. "
P.S. is an authoritative, dynamically developing consulting company, which is consistently included in the top 10 largest agencies in Russia in terms of strategic planning, organizational development and personnel management (according to the data of the rating agency "Expert RA" for 2015). The company currently employs 350 industry specialists. The pool of clients is about 1000 companies.
Editorial opinion
The services of professional consultants are vital for an enterprise, not only in crisis situations. An “outside perspective” allows one to assess the problems, risks and opportunities of the company from a different angle. Independent expert opinion, recommendations on the adoption of appropriate measures and assistance in their implementation can significantly increase business efficiency.
Introduction 3
1 Theoretical foundations of management consulting 5
Characteristics and principles of consulting 5
Purpose, objectives and stages of counseling 7
Reasons for contacting consulting firms 9
Criteria for the professionalism of a consultant. thirteen
1.5 Tasks to be solved by consultants 15
1.6 Features of Russian consulting 19
1.7 Problems Solved by Russian Consultants 26
1.8 Effectiveness and effectiveness of counseling 29
2 Management consulting methodology 31
3 Management consulting on the example of Kuppo CJSC 36
3.1 Organization profile 36
3.2 An example of management consulting at ZAO Kuppo 36
3.2.1 Statement of the problem, objects and objectives of counseling. 36
3.2.2 Choice of research methodology 36
3.3 Analysis of ways out of a problem situation 38
Conclusion 39
List of sources used 40
Introduction
The choice of a promising direction for improving the production management process at a particular enterprise does not in itself guarantee success in this matter.
In this situation, the work of a leader has become extremely complicated, who will have to not only revise his management activities, but also help society, represented by its work collectives, to quickly master new life values, new economic relations. The role and significance of the work of a leader, in this regard, increases significantly, but his real ability to effectively solve the practical innovative tasks that arise before him is limited mainly by the lack of time.
The manager produces a specific product - managerial decisions, some of which can be fixed in the form of norms and rules, creating an organizational order, and some of which will simply be reproduced many times in different interpretations. A change in the management paradigm means the creation of a new management algorithm based on new management decisions. These decisions play a leading role in management, are made by their leader, assuming full responsibility for their effectiveness. The increasing physical and psychological stress on the leader in the period of transition to market relations, associated with increased uncertainty and risk, lack of resources, information, time, significantly enhance the relevance of this type of activity as management consulting.
One of critical factors the effective functioning of the market economy is the formation of an adequate economic environment, the most important element of which is the market infrastructure. Such infrastructure is an interconnected system of enterprises and organizations that serve the movement of flows of goods, services, money, valuable papers, work force and provide a significant acceleration of their turnover.
Particular attention should be paid to the management infrastructure as one of the components of the infrastructure complex. The management infrastructure creates the necessary conditions for the high-quality and efficient functioning of the serviced spheres of the national economy and contributes to the formation and close interaction of all elements of the infrastructure complex. The objects of the administrative infrastructure must develop faster than other elements of the infrastructure complex in order to actively influence its formation as an integral system.
In the context of the integration of the Russian economy into the world, issues related to business services are of great importance for enterprise managers. All of them are faced with the transformation of forms of ownership on the basis of denationalization and corporatization of enterprises, with rising prices, foreign investment and the intertwining of Russian and foreign capital, as well as a change in their internal structure, bringing it closer to the proportions that are characteristic of the world economy as a whole. Only after this can the country begin to move towards the world level of economic efficiency, which is the main goal of the reforms.
1. Theoretical foundations of management consulting
Characteristics and principles of consulting
Management consulting organizations and firms, or consulting firms, constitute the backbone of the management infrastructure.
In the very broad sense the word counseling as a form of giving independent advice in everyday practice has existed for as long as there is humanity. However, as a type of professional activity, it originated relatively recently.
Other types of professional services in business predate consulting. Historically, the first type of professional external services was legal: entrepreneurs have not been able to do without the services of lawyers and notaries for several hundred years. Later, in late XIX century, as the economy became more complex and the corresponding development of economic sciences, a new field began to form professional services- consulting on economics and management, i.e. management consulting in the proper sense of the word.
There are many definitions of management consulting. There are two main approaches to counseling.
In the first case, a broad functional view of counseling is used. Fritz Steele defines it as: "By the process of consulting, I mean any form of assistance with respect to the content, process or structure of a task or a series of tasks, in which the consultant is not himself responsible for the task, but helps those who are responsible for it."
The second approach considers counseling as a special professional service and identifies a number of characteristics that it should have. According to Larry Grainer and Robert Metzger, “Management Consulting is a contractual advisory service that provides services to organizations with the help of specially trained and qualified individuals who help the client organization identify, analyze, and provide guidance and , if necessary, the implementation of decisions. "
Both of these approaches complement each other quite well. The European Federation of Associations of Economics and Management Consultants (FEACO) defines the following: management consulting is the provision of independent advice and assistance on management issues, including the identification and assessment of problems and opportunities, recommendation of appropriate measures and assistance in their implementation.
The American Association of Consultants in Economics and Management (ACME) and the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC) adhere to the same definition.
If you try to bring all these definitions to a common denominator, you get something like the following: consulting is a type of intellectual professional activity, in the process of which a qualified consultant provides objective and independent advice that contributes to the successful management of a client organization.
Like any other professional activity, consulting has its own special principles, according to which any activity in this area should take place. This:
competence;
reputation;
observance ethical standards;
observance of the interests of the client;
orientation towards broad public interests;
system change;
involvement of personnel;
scientific character;
flexibility;
creativity;
concreteness and objectivity;
efficiency;
maintaining relationships at the proper level.
Western theorists of management consulting distinguish the following characteristic features of management consulting.
First, consultants provide professional assistance to executives. Experienced consultants go through many organizations and learn to use the experience gained by assisting new and old clients in a variety of situations. Consequently, they are able to recognize general trends and common causes of problems. Moreover, professional consultants constantly follow the literature on management problems and the development of theories of methods and management systems, as well as the market situation. Thus, they act as a link between management theory and practice. one
Secondly, consultants mainly give advice. This means that they are only advisors and do not have direct authority to make decisions about changes and implement them. The consultants are responsible for the quality and completeness of the advice. Clients bear all the responsibility that results from the adoption of the advice. 2
And thirdly, counseling is an independent service. The consultant assesses any situation, offers objective recommendations as to what the client should do, without thinking about how this could affect his own interests. The consultant must have the following types of independence:
financial;
administrative;
political;
emotional.
Purpose, objectives and stages of counseling
The ultimate goal of counseling is to help the client make progressive changes in his organization. The consultant helps to identify and solve specific technical problems, while addressing human problems and aspects of organizational change.
The main task of consulting is to identify and find ways to solve existing problems. Consulting services are carried out both in the form of one-time consultations and in the form of consulting projects. There are many divisions of the consulting process into stages. Any consulting project includes the following main stages:
diagnostics (identification of problems);
development of solutions;
implementation of solutions.
A.P. Posadsky notes that the consulting process, in addition to the design stage, includes the pre-design and post-design stages.
The first step in the pre-project stage is the client acknowledging that he has a problem that he would like to solve with the help of consultants. This recognition is the result of a two-way process: on the one hand, the client's awareness of the problem as such. On the other hand, the formation of the manager's desire to entrust the development of a solution to the problem to consultants. Usually, the client, on a competitive basis, selects from several offers the one that suits him best in terms of quality and price, after which he concludes a contract with the consultant of his choice.
The post-project stage consists of analyzing the changes that have occurred in the client organization. This is followed by the solution of issues related to the possible expansion of the project, in connection with new problems - either identified during the implementation of the project, or arising as a result of the organization's achievement of a new state as a result of the project. As part of this stage, the final financial settlements of the client with the consultant and introspection of the consultant's activities are also carried out in order to comprehend the experience gained for use in other projects.
To achieve maximum efficiency in the implementation of consulting projects, a project team is created, which includes experts in various subject areas and managers who manage the project progress. When making decisions, diagnosing problems and making recommendations, organizational methods are widely used. teamwork project team.
The main task of the consulting project is to achieve the highest possible quality of solution to the problem while observing financial and time constraints.
The degree of client involvement in a consulting project varies from the types of consulting services. By measuring the time spent by the client's staff and the results of the consultant's work, it is possible to determine the required degree of staff involvement in the consultant's activities.
The effectiveness of the consultant's work will be minimal if the client does not participate in it at all. Further, this efficiency grows as the client's involvement increases, and after reaching the optimal point, the efficiency begins to decline, therefore, the client begins to perform his work for the consultant. Of course, this ratio will vary depending on the type of problems to be solved, on the stage or phase of the consulting project and, of course, on the very type of consulting services.
The work of a consultant begins with the fact that some condition is recognized as unsatisfactory and there is an opportunity to correct it. Such work ends when a change has occurred in this condition, which can be considered as an improvement. The work of a consultant includes the interaction of various types of business activities, affects the technological, economic, financial, legal, psychosocial, political and other aspects of the organization. All changes, conceived and implemented with the help of a consultant, should contribute to improving the quality of leadership and increasing the efficiency of the organization. These are the main purposes of using consultants, although “leadership improvement” and “organizational performance” are relative terms and their precise meaning should be determined in the context of each specific organization and specific consulting project. 3
There are several typical consulting assignments, depending on the quality or level of the situation faced by the client organization:
The task of correcting a situation that has worsened;
The task of improving a situation that already exists;
The challenge is to create a completely new situation.
Two sides should also be noted possible changes in the client organization:
The technical side of the nature of the managerial or commercial problem the client is facing. The consultant finds ways to analyze and solve it;
The human side, that is, the relationship between the consultant and the client, the reaction of people in the client's organization to change. The consultant assists in planning and implementing these relationships.
Effective counseling shows how to deal with these two aspects of change in an organization. These problems are interrelated and the consultant should understand this.
Reasons for contacting consulting firms
So, who and why turns to consulting companies for help?
Clients - consumers of consulting services can be divided into two large groups. The first includes companies that prefer to build their business on the basis of calculation, analysis and independent expert opinion, for which the presence of plans for the strategic development of activities is inherent. The second one - companies that turn to consultants, being at the pre-crisis stage, when the thunder has already struck. In the latter case, consultants often have to act as an "ambulance", "resuscitating" the victims.
As a result, the attitude towards consultants is beginning to change in the business environment. A number of other reasons also affect the positive awareness of the role of consultants: the heads of enterprises receive modern business education, the development of modern information and communication technologies. Inviting consultants and auditors for some managers is now becoming, if not an urgent need, then at least an element of prestige and high position. Business leaders are beginning to see consulting as a real investment in the future.
Two major crises - "Black Tuesday" in 1994 and "Black Thursday" in 1998, have actually proven the relevance of consulting companies. The period of accumulation of primary capital has passed, now the heads of enterprises are faced with the task of learning, by optimizing internal resources, to increase the value of the business, to attract investments. A decade is also enough time for a range of consulting problems to emerge. Problems that are closely intertwined and partly due to external factors.
The quality of services is one of the main problems of consulting. It is the issue of quality that still remains unregulated at the legislative level. There are many small, low-professional companies operating in the audit and consulting market sector, often consisting of a secretary and a director. Such firms are actually engaged in dumping, provide low-quality services and disappear after six months or a year of operation. This damages both the entire professional community and business as a whole.
CEOs often turn to consultants simply to validate their point of view. Of course, most managers have an idea of what exactly their business problem is, and what types of solutions could be chosen. However, nothing happens. The fact is that leaders are lonely by nature, and therefore it is important for them to have the opportunity to receive additional confirmation of their ideas, to have additional arguments when accepting important management decisions... Consultants help to see new aspects of the problem, significantly reduce the area of uncertainty. Consultants are invited when the company:
there is a problem or task;
the company's management is aware that it exists;
the company's management is interested in solving this problem.
The company's management understands that it cannot solve this problem on its own. Or maybe, but does not have time to solve it, he “has no time, his hands do not reach, the routine is seizing ...” Or he doubts that the decision made is optimal.
It often happens that a manager can solve a problem that has arisen and he has enough competence to solve this problem. He simply does not have enough time to solve it and gets in the way of a “blurry look”. It is difficult for him to see the problem from the outside. And an objective and impartial "outside view" (of course, in comparison with the client's view, absolute objectivity and impartiality is an unattainable thing, like an ideal), is precisely one of the undoubted advantages of consultants. Because often the head of the company sees what he wants to see, and not what actually is. Interest and subjectivity make it difficult to make the right decisions, and many leaders understand this.
Inviting consultants will be most effective if:
The problem that consultants have to solve is global and requires complex changes in the structure or strategy of your company. In this situation, the critical factor becomes work time a qualified specialist, and this is exactly what the consultant is. The head of the company can solve this problem himself, but then he will have no time to deal with other, no less important tasks. Here a consultant is an additional qualified resource.
The problem is “one-time” and requires a prompt solution. Here the company also receives a qualified resource and for it the involvement of consultants in in this case is cheaper than keeping a specialist on staff who will not be constantly loaded.
There are disagreements between managers or owners about the problem and methods of solving it. In this situation, the consultant acts rather as an arbitrator, mediator, judge, helping the parties to come to an agreement and come to a consensus. This is the case when "the master will come and judge us."
The problem is important for the company and the “cost of error” is high. Here the consultant acts as additional insurance, a kind of guarantee of the correctness of the decision.
The problem requires the allocation of specialists who will only deal with its solution. Often companies simply do not have full-time employees who can be “taken away” from their day-to-day responsibilities and involved in solving the problem. All employees are busy with current activities
When the problem is new for the client and he needs additional resources - knowledge and experience to solve it.
In all these cases and in many others, the company's management is ready to make changes, strives for them, realizes their necessity and inevitability, and is able to assess the consequences of an unresolved problem for the company. And, most importantly, he understands exactly what benefits and advantages the company will receive when the problem is solved.
The decision to turn to consultants for help arises when the head of the company realized the problem and realized that he could not solve it on his own. Either he does not want to solve it on his own, or he considers it unreasonable. 4
We can put it this way: a consultant, performing a significant amount of work on a specific assignment, performs another, even more important, function. It moves the organization forward significantly by helping management decide on the necessary actions when they are detailed. The leader acquires an ally, whose arguments have a significant impact on the final management decision to continue the project or abandon it from minimal cost... This approach is especially effective if the consultant's arguments are based on knowledge of the specifics of the particular field of activity of this particular firm.
Consultants are involved in those cases when it is necessary to remove the uncertainty arising at different stages of the process of preparation, adoption and implementation of responsible management decisions.
Of course, when inviting consulting specialists, there is rarely a "clean situation" when there is exactly one reason for this. There is usually some combination of different factors, for example:
Experience with similar businesses or problems. The client quite often believes, and it is not unreasonable, that if the consultant has experience in this area, this will help him to better navigate the problems of a particular company.
Availability of special technologies and knowledge . Domestic businessmen gradually realized that humanity has come a long way of specialization. Therefore, consultants may have technologies for collecting, organizing and analysis of information which the client's company personnel do not have. All over the world, a situation is considered completely normal when problems arise in optimizing existing areas of business, and a competent solution to all issues is beyond the strength of the company's personnel. Even large and powerful companies in the West use the services of consultants. The most advanced Russian businessmen have already realized the need for this. Consultants are invited when some top managers are seriously concerned about improving the company's performance and painstaking and very specific work is needed on its real problems. Difficulties here may be associated with the impatience of domestic customers. Therefore, the most effective collaboration occurs when a certain element is present, depending on the following main reasons for inviting consultants.
The learning process. Cooperation with a consultant in this case is considered not only as a means of solving a specific issue, but also as an opportunity to learn certain methods of analysis and problem solving. A client inviting a consultant for his own training understands that the result of interaction with a consultant can be manifested in an improvement and deepening of understanding of the nature of the real problems existing in the enterprise.
Stereoscopic view of the problem. The consultant must have such important quality as a broad vision of the situation. A true professional is able to assess the results of the conflicting effects of various factors on the business of the firm. Having a sufficient outlook, certain knowledge and possessing the technology, the consultant is able to identify the main factors in any situation and give competent recommendations for further actions, which are much more adequate to the prevailing realities than the proposals of the firm's staff.
Intensive help on a specific issue. Sometimes the firm has very specific legal, accounting or management problems that require a specific solution. In these cases, relatively narrow specialists are often invited for a relatively short time.
A fresh look at the firm. Even the most professional and competent people can be greatly influenced by existing traditions and values. This can greatly interfere with the decision-making required at new stages in the development of the firm. Of course, a fresh look at the firm's activities is useful when it contains not only abstract correct recommendations, but also realistic step-by-step procedures for their implementation.
Curiosity . Often, when inviting consultants, some managers are not very clear even for themselves why they are doing it. In many cases, they are driven by common human curiosity. They are turned on by the scraps of information they receive. The image of the consultants, the success of someone who seems to have used their services, etc. Why not give it a try? In Russia, this is especially the case for foreigners. Then domestic managers, having spent a tidy sum for a beautiful retelling of reasonable textbooks adapted for them, are for a long time disillusioned with management consulting as such. Therefore, this reason for inviting consultants, although present as such, is not worthy of attention.
A tool in external and internal corporate intrigues. A firm needs some solid research to defend its interests in the outside world. Other options for using consultants as a tool in intrigue are associated with situations when one manager or a group of managers needs an additional channel of influence on the situation within the firm. I would like to justify the ongoing changes by referring to the recommendations of independent consultants.
Getting an abstract alibi. One manager or a group of senior managers needs confirmation of the correctness of their actions. In this case, the client does not need changes, he only wants a beautiful report signed by a reputable firm. The report should show that respectable management consultants have been invited and that they have confirmed the correctness of the chosen path. Western experts are very effective in such situations, because they love to retell textbooks in their reports. The main problem here is to what extent the wishes of the client's top managers coincide with what is written in reasonable Western textbooks.
Shifting responsibility: This motive occurs when inviting financial and tax advisors. Exhausted by the endless claims of the tax authorities, top managers want to buy an "indulgence". In this case, consultants are needed to be responsible for any (even arbitrary) actions of the tax authorities.
Criteria for the professionalism of a consultant.
For the most effective use of consulting services, consultants as professionals must meet general criteria of professionalism in terms of knowledge and skills, ethical standards and personal qualities.
Requirements for the personality of a consultant are expressed in the fact that he must show:
Creative thinking;
Developed business communication skills;
Psychological maturity;
Good health;
Stability in behavior, self-confidence
Self-improvement ability, self-discipline, self-organization
Self-criticism
Professional ethics 5
He must also have knowledge of the problems of theory and practice of management, management methods, reporting procedures, information processing systems, the basics of computing, the organizational foundations of consulting, factors affecting performance
The functions of a consultant include:
Identify and solve problems
Make non-standard management decisions
Teach, transfer knowledge
Encourage employees to be creative
Form and develop effective working groups
Apply previous experience in counseling
in various fields while solving various problems
Continuously replenish and update knowledge
Participate in the development and implementation of the strategy of the consulting organization
In accordance with the listed knowledge, skills and experience, universal consultants and specialist consultants are distinguished. Station wagons have broad education and a wide range of interests. Their responsibilities include preparing and coordinating global assignments, performing preliminary diagnostics, and submitting proposals to the client for solving problems.
Professionals have knowledge and experience in a specific industry or field of work. A wide variety of types of consulting services presupposes a variety of specializations of consultants. According to their basic education, they can be managers, economists, lawyers, mathematicians, psychologists, sociologists, engineers.
You should pay special attention to the internal consultant. The emergence of the position of an internal consultant is due to the need to protect state and commercial secrets, competition, confidentiality of information received and the lack of clear legislative regulation of these issues. Specialists for the position of internal consultants are selected in accordance with the criteria of professionalism (Table 1). They are able to provide services on a wide range of issues.
However, in a number of cases, it is effective to use both internal and external consultants: the scale of the project, the complexity of the problems being solved; limited time frames for solving problems, the need for special knowledge and skills that are not available in the client organization, inappropriateness to have an internal consultant of a certain specialization on the staff.
If it is necessary to jointly work on a project of external and internal consultants, internal consultants:
evaluate the validity of inviting external consultants;
coordinate project work;
determine the scope and nature of work required from external consultants;
perform tasks within their competence;
Using the principle of complementarity between external and internal consultants improves the quality of problem solving, reduces project costs and improves the qualifications of internal consultants.
1.5 Tasks to be solved by consultants
There are two main types of classification of consulting services:
from the point of view of the subject of counseling - subject classification;
from the point of view of the method of consulting - a methodological classification.
Subject classification is more common because it is more understandable for consumers of consulting services. In accordance with it, consulting services are qualified depending on those sections (elements) of management to which they are directed: general management, financial management, production management, etc.
As for the methodological classification, it is professionally focused on the consultants themselves, as it qualifies them depending on the methods of work. In accordance with this classification, a distinction is made between expert, process and training consulting. 6
It should be noted that the classifications published by national and international associations of consultants often combine subject and methodological approaches, focusing, however, more on the subject. In addition, they include in the list of consulting services and other professional services. An example of such a “synthetic” approach is the classification of the European Directory-Directory of Consultants in Economics and Management, published under the auspices of FEACO. This classification includes, on the one hand, such services as the provision of information technology, industrial engineering, management training (training), public relations, etc., which constitutes professional services, and on the other hand, such types of consulting as training consulting, which is a method of counseling.
The types of consulting in the narrow sense of the word (as help in the form of advice and recommendations) can be classified as follows:
a) Consulting on general management.
This is assistance in solving problems related to the very existence of the object of consultation and the prospects for its development. Consultants deal with issues such as assessing the state of the organization as a whole and characterizing the external environment for it, determining the goals and value system of the organization, developing a development strategy, forecasting, organizing branches and new firms, changing the form of ownership or composition of owners, acquiring property, shares or shares. , improvement of organizational structures, etc.
There are three main cases when consultants are considering general management problems:
First, during the research of management activities. Most management consultants have an established practice that a brief overview and research of the organization as a whole should be done before proposing possible solutions to a specialized problem.
Secondly, during research of specific functional areas of management, when it turns out that certain changes are needed in the general structure of management, that is, the consultant must solve general management problems that underlie the solution of particular problems.
Thirdly, during the solution of tasks related to one or more issues of general management. Addressing these issues can take the form of extensive research, rather than summary reports, as in diagnostics, especially if these are top-level management issues related to the general course of management of the organization. The implementation of such projects may require a large amount of time (for example, to develop a development strategy new firm may take six to nine months).
b) Consulting on administrative management.
Specialists in this area deal with such issues as the formation and registration of companies, office organization, data processing, administrative control system, etc. Their main task is to optimize the management of the organization. They make recommendations on the following issues:
distribution of functions between departments and divisions;
optimization of the number of control levels;
establishment of labor discipline;
correspondence of the degree of importance of the functions performed by one or another department for the organization as a whole, and its role in decision-making;
record keeping;
planning of offices and their equipment.
c) Consulting on financial management.
Here help is provided in solving the following basic tasks:
search for sources of financial resources;
assessment and improvement of the current financial performance of the organization;
strengthening financial situation organizations for the future.
They deal with issues of financial planning and control, taxation, accounting, placement of shares and shares on the market, credit, insurance, profit and cost, insolvency, etc.
By its very nature, finance is an integral part of many types of advisory services. Financial due diligence, for example, is an essential part of business diagnostic studies. During project execution, financial consultants may work closely with consultants in other areas, especially manufacturing and marketing, to assess the financial implications of their proposals.
In practice, a financial management consultant deals with three research subjects. The first is the expansion of the company, which includes the opening of new enterprises, the introduction of new production lines, the installation of new equipment, the conquest of a new market, etc. In each of these areas, the consultant estimates the measures required for this and the costs that they entail, i.e. That is, it determines whether the return justifies the investment. The second is money management. In this case, the consultant studies the capital structure of his client, analyzes the prospects for obtaining venture capital or debt capital and the cost of various sources of financing, both short and long term. The third is the accounting system, including its development and improvement. Before starting to develop an accounting system, the consultant must understand what kind of help managers expect from him, for what purpose this system is being created, and know who will receive the information and how it will be used.
d) Consulting on personnel management.
Deals with the selection of employees, personnel control, remuneration system, advanced training, personnel management, labor protection and psychological climate in the team.
Their main task is to assist managers in optimizing the attraction and use of such a key factor for any organization as human resources.
In this regard, HR consultants should consider the following issues.
The first is the principle of recruiting. In this case, consultants try to prepare a description of the "ideal" performer who has a certain professional training, qualifications, experience that are required to perform this work.
Based on this, methods of assessment, selection and placement of personnel are being developed. The main recruiting methods are testing and interviewing.
The second issue is planning the recruitment and professional development of personnel. In this direction, the consultant usually solves the following problems:
determination of the basic requirements for various categories of performers;
an analysis of the educational, cultural and social difficulties that employees must overcome in carrying out their work;
determination of the organization's policy in the field of personnel training and professional growth.
e) Marketing consulting.
It assists managers in solving a vital task for any enterprise operating in a market economy: ensuring its functioning in such a way that effective demand is presented for the goods and services it produces. They deal with market research and provide decision-making in the areas of sales, pricing, advertising, new product development, after-sales service, etc. Since in a market economy, the most difficult problem for an enterprise is not manufacturing, but selling products, marketing is one of the the most important areas of business consulting.
Marketing is the area in which a firm makes its contacts with external economic entities (customers and competitors), so the survival of the firm depends on how well it manages to adapt to market conditions.
Typically, a firm tries to find new potential markets, new products for existing customers, new customers to sell existing products and study the activities of potential competitors.
f) Consulting in the field of production organization.
This field combines knowledge of economic, management and engineering issues, assisting managers in solving problems such as choosing a production process, stimulating labor productivity, evaluating and controlling product quality, analyzing production costs, planning production, using equipment and materials, designing and improving. products, evaluation of works, etc.
The production process requires decision-making on the part of the manager in order to get the product of the required quality, in the right quantity, on time and at minimal cost. Thus, the task of the consultant is to help find the best ways to achieve these goals.
g) Consulting in the field of information technology.
Is engaged in the development of recommendations for the implementation of computer-aided design (CAD) systems and automated systems management (ACS), information retrieval systems, the use of computers in accounting and other quantitative methods for assessing the activities of an enterprise.
Information technology is essential for modern organizations. But the changes accompanying the use of new information technologies are associated with the very organizational foundations of the enterprise, such as the principles of building its structure.
A management consultant is not just a computer maintenance technician. It should help the client understand the capabilities and limitations of computers, provide information and bridge the gap between technical staff and the end user of computer programs. Information systems often cause complaints from the administration due to the lack of relevant information or delays in obtaining it. Therefore, the consultant should carefully study the nature of the relationship between information and various types of management actions and try to increase the usefulness and availability of information, consider in detail the decision-making system.
1.6 Features of Russian consulting
Management consulting, like any other concept related to business sphere, has its own specifics in Russia. It differs from the western version in its relative youth. Advice on how to run a business based on foreign templates and methodologies needs significant revision. 7 The implementation of this process falls primarily on the shoulders of Russian consulting agencies, which have to solve two problems at once: adjust foreign methods or develop original products and bring them to the mass consumer.
It should be noted that consulting in Russia also existed in the conditions of a centrally planned economy, but in a different form from that accepted in world practice. The fact is that consulting is the work of providing advice and recommendations by independent experts on market conditions and in a market economy. But during the Soviet period there was neither a market economy nor independent consultants.
A certain degree of independence and “market-like” provision of consulting services was ensured only within the framework of the so-called contractual work, in which the consultant and the client acted as equal and relatively independent parties from the state. In the conditions of pre-reform Russia, this form of activity was the only possible one for organizing consulting services on a market basis. Business contracts constituted (estimated) no more than 3% of the scope of work in this area, and 97% of the work was carried out on the basis of state budget funding. In this case, the customers (but not necessarily consumers) were government or party bodies. eight
In the late 80s - early 90s. the situation began to change. On the one hand, more and more customers were becoming not state-owned, but private or mixed structures. On the other hand, independent (private) consulting firms began to emerge. The latter is fundamentally important, since the independence of consultants is one of the necessary professional qualities of these specialists.
Currently in Russia there is what can be called a two-sector model of the economy of consulting services.
The 1st sector consists of private independent consulting and other professional (audit, training, legal, etc.) firms.
The second sector is the surviving state-funded research structures (included in the system of the Academy of Sciences, sectoral and functional ministries, etc.).
The 1st sector has a tendency to accelerated growth and operates on a market basis, the 2nd - has a tendency to decline, serving mainly organs government controlled and works on a "centrally planned" basis.
Individual consultants usually began their careers in research institutes or educational institutions... Feeling competent enough, they left their former place of work and began to work independently. They mainly specialize in trainings, process consulting, psychological counseling. They try to maintain more or less formal relations with other independent consultants (mainly for the purpose of joint implementation of projects that are "too tough" for an individual consultant, or "protection" in front of potential clients).
Small firms focused on process consulting. The heads (they are also most often the owners) of small consulting firms of this profile began their careers as experts in some areas (economics and finance, psychology, sociology, less often - exact sciences), but now they are more specialized in strategic planning , personnel management, organizational development. As a rule, firms employ 4-6 consultants, and they do not plan to expand their staff. There are few such firms in Russia.
Medium-sized process-oriented firms differ from the previous category mainly only in the number of personnel - both main (consultants) and auxiliary. They are even rarer.
Small expert-oriented firms. These firms operate in a variety of narrow areas of expertise (finance, legislation, taxation, industry-specific marketing, investment design, or regional development). Only in some cases are their clients the actual managers of the enterprises. Basically, these firms work for local governments, banks or other investors interested in an efficient capital investment. The consulting services offered by such experts mainly consist of financial audits and the preparation of business plans or investment programs. Most of the consulting work in Russia is carried out by this category of firms. Some of them are still part of academic structures or maintain the closest ties with them. Typically, the number of experts in such firms is 2-3 people.
Large expert-oriented firms. There are very few such firms in Russia. Usually these are corporations specializing in the creation of new information technologies and automated control systems or developing and supporting complex investment projects.
Large state research centers. There are a large number of such structures - these are research institutes, academies, universities, etc. Traditionally, they are state property and are financed by it (the state). Since budget funds are not enough even for survival, and even more so for development, these structures are gradually forced to enter the free market and learn to “sell” their expertise. The quality of the services they can offer is high, but the experience of “selling” them is extremely inadequate. Often such centers (or their employees) become founders of small consulting firms and, in addition to expert advice, organize various kinds of trainings.
Firms engaged in other activities besides consulting. In Russia, the number of firms that are characterized by a combination of consulting and other activities (trade in various goods, service, exchange business, etc.) is large. The main clients for the consulting division in such firms is the other "manufacturing" division, and only a small fraction of the clients come from outside. Consulting in these firms is more of a "co-product" and is of interest if it brings additional income or helps to solve the problems of the parent company.
Audit and consulting firms constitute a special category among such mixed firms. Audit, as already mentioned, is a knowledge-based service in economics and management, but not in the form of advice and guidance. Audit firms all over the world are trying to develop their own consulting services, realizing that they can bring additional income, but do not always have sufficient creative potential.
Branches of foreign firms operating in the Russian market. In the late 80s - early 90s. a number of the largest Western consulting and audit and consulting firms began their activities in Russia with a very small number of staff and are mainly engaged in expert consulting and audit. Now their Russian branches, as a rule, have more than 50 specialists (2/3 of them are Russian citizens), have powerful divisions specializing in management consulting, and subsidiary offices throughout the former USSR. In the area of auditing, these firms do not experience difficulties in finding a clientele (often Russian clients are ready to pay for one prestigious name) and do not believe that Russian consulting firms are real competitors for them. As for management - consulting as such, the situation for Western firms in Russia is more complicated. The main source of orders for them in this area are programs of international technical assistance (for more details see Chapter 3 of this manual), the volume of which tends to decline. Private clients operating in Russia increasingly prefer to contact Russian consultants.
Small Russian consulting firms working with large Western firms. The owners (they are also managers) of these firms began their careers in Western companies and, after working for several years, organized their own business. Most of the staff studied abroad or at one time worked in foreign companies. Such firms generally adhere to Western-style client relations and international standards for the quality of consulting services. If large foreign firms need a Russian partner, they give preference to just such firms.
Management consulting in a purely procedural form is widespread in Russia on a fairly limited scale. The subjects engaged in "pure" consulting include small process-oriented firms and individual consultants (the number of both the former and the latter is rather limited). In most cases, consulting in Russia is a combination of certain expert knowledge (in the field of finance, automation, management, marketing, etc.) and process or training consulting. Most of the firms are very young (1-5 years old) and are in the first phase of development. Their main task at the moment is to find clients and receive money from them on time for the work done. The second priority is the survival of these firms in the next few months. Consulting people feel dependent on the political and economic situation in the country, which is almost impossible to predict. Tax regulation and the solvency of enterprises affect not only clients, but also, accordingly, the opportunities and professional orientation of consulting firms. Strategic planning in such conditions is rarely carried out for themselves.
Russian clients expect a high level of service quality from Western consulting firms. It is determined by the high level of payment of consultants, which depends on the number of hours spent on work, and not on the result obtained. Sometimes the situation looks as if using the services of a reputable consulting firm is much more important than getting a real result. On the other hand, Russian managers often mistrust foreign consultants, since in the early years of its existence the profession itself was discredited by non-professionals who had no experience in consulting work in Russia and specialized education (a “spoiled field” effect was created). In addition, consultants in Russia often face completely unrealistic, overestimated expectations of their clients (for example, not just increasing the profitability of an enterprise, but doubling it).
In fact, we can talk about the following two types of quality.
Large Western firms fully follow the high quality standards adopted in the West (ISO-9001, etc.), use methods corresponding to these standards, a high level of professional control, which has already become traditional, intensive training of personnel, complex project teams, including specialists in various areas. They form teams of Western and Russian consultants, use a network of experts in various fields, the latest technology and have clients in almost all developed regions of Russia.
Small Russian consulting firms, in which several people with a narrow specialization in one or two areas and who have been working as consultants for only a few years, make money, usually do not have information about Western methodology and procedures that ensure the quality of the services provided. Their main goals now are finding clients and surviving the next few months.
Most of the consulting services in Russia are provided by small firms or individual consultants. There are few middle or large firms. The latter (mostly Western firms) started working on the Russian market with a team of 2-3 people. The headcount has grown significantly in recent years, however these firms are still run by skilled and experienced managers who are well aware of the problems of professional organizations.
Individual consultants, of course, do not have problems with the management of the organization, since they do not have an organization (this is a "firm" consisting of one person). Nevertheless, many of them form professional networks with other consultants and try to coordinate their work with colleagues. However, they do not view this activity as managerial.
Small firms, which are in the majority in Russia, are headed by leaders of a charismatic or autocratic type. They were kind of pioneers who changed careers in some professional field to careers as a consultant. Neither they themselves nor their subordinates experienced management problems.
The market in which Russian consultants operate is complex and ambiguous. They are forced to operate in a state of uncertainty, which is present even where security and trust are essential conditions for doing business.
So, in particular, tax regulation is completely unpredictable, and many areas of business are controlled by illegal structures. Due to geographical features (sometimes huge distances between sites), consultants are forced to work in a small local market or travel a lot.
Thus, the state of consulting in Russia is characterized by signs of a "transition period". There are significant differences between the strategies of Western companies and Russian firms, which are determined by the following features.
Despite the fact that not only customer organizations, but the consulting firms themselves must have a business plan, Russian consultants generally do not.
In Russia, in contrast to developed countries, there are clear distinctions between an offer and a contract. The consulting activity contract outlines the different stages of the consulting process (diagnosis, report, etc.) and the payment terms. A contract is an official document that can be used in disputes or disagreements about the course and effectiveness of a process or payment for a project. The process of submitting a proposal precedes the signing of an agreement and, as a rule, is not fixed on paper, but only spelled out. A systematic procedure for writing a proposal - especially when it comes to ISO standards - can only be found in Western firms operating in Russia.
The same is true for the final client evaluation of the project. Each project ends with the signing of a document in which the client officially declares that the project has been completed in accordance with the stipulated terms of the contract. This document is drawn up mainly in order to comply with the legality of the transaction. This is not a written client assessment that is accepted in the West. Of course, during the project, the client and the consultant repeatedly discuss the progress of the project, but there is no formal final evaluation procedure yet.
Russian consultants are more focused on their knowledge and services than on clients' problems, i.e., on the delivery of services, rather than on the needs for services. Thus, many consultants view their activities as providing expertise to clients, rather than a service to meet a particular client need. This is the classic difference between focusing on delivering expertise and focusing on customer needs.
In general, Russian clients are characterized by the following contradictory parameters, which impede the formation of their qualified demand for consulting services:
“Feeling” of the need to receive help, but a poor understanding of its content, methods and sources;
the need to master the modern type of management, but under the pressure of traditional stereotypes of "command economy" management;
lack of information with a simultaneous interest in obtaining data on the internal situation and external conditions;
the desire for independence and social restrictions (maintenance of social facilities, preservation of employment, support for communal services, etc.);
attempts to make independent serious decisions in conditions of dispersion of equity capital among numerous shareholders;
lack of an established rule to pay for "intangible advice";
fear of criticism from outside;
fear of losing confidentiality;
no guarantee of specific results;
failure to assess the capabilities of consultants;
conviction in the completeness of knowledge about the enterprise.
In addition, many potential clients have problems paying for consulting services - even if they would like to invite a consultant, they simply have nothing to pay with. Sometimes payment is so late that the consultant chooses to end all business with such clients.
It should be noted that the managers of Russian enterprises themselves cite too high prices for consulting services as the main reason for refusing to make a decision to attract consultants.
The situation with the demand in the market of consulting services in Russia is somewhat leveled out in comparison with other European countries due to the fact that in addition to domestic there is a fairly large external demand, which is (estimated) from 2 billion to 3 billion dollars. in year. The main source of external demand is technical assistance from international organizations, governments and private foundations of foreign countries and, in part, demand from foreign companies entering Russian market... However, external demand is directed almost entirely to the purchase of the services of foreign consulting firms operating in Russia. Russian consultants receive a small portion of these funds by subcontracting with foreign consulting firms.
Thus, from the point of view of a market economy, Russian consulting is only at an early stage of development.
1.7 Problems Solved by Russian Consultants
What exactly are the issues that Russian consultants face today?
Main problems Russian enterprises, which the domestic consulting is intended to solve, in my opinion, were quite fully identified in the company's research BKG surveyed the heads of a number of enterprises.
83% of top managers admit the existence of a problem related to the imperfection of the management system and organizational structure and call it the most important;
78% of companies lack investment resources and need to attract new investors;
77% of companies experience a shortage of qualified personnel;
77% of managers complain about shortcomings in the system of motivating their employees and the lack of staff orientation towards strategic goals companies;
71% of managers note the need to improve the competitiveness of their enterprises;
66% of companies need system implementation responsible for monitoring performance indicators;
59% of CEOs are dissatisfied with the level of return on investment;
59% of companies with a low level of competitiveness feel the need to optimize their sales system.
Looking at this list, one can only marvel at the disorder of our enterprises. A natural question arises, or rather, even two: how did this happen, and what to do now? In the era of underdeveloped capitalism, which is now happily dying away, economic development took place very spontaneously and unpredictably. The strongest won and survived in those conditions. Moreover, success was mainly characterized by one indicator - profit. Now the situation is entering a stable channel and the position of business is such that the growth of income of enterprises clearly outstrips the ability to control financial flows and their optimal distribution, the lag in the development of the management structure becomes obvious. 9
The previously unclaimed (or rather, very little in demand) Russian management consulting is trying to solve such problems today. The works of the above-described problems include the development of strategies, restructuring, the development of anti-crisis programs, the development and implementation of new systems and management procedures. Before the crisis, they ordered financial management, budgeting, diagnostics of the company's business.
Consulting is now going through a period of its formation. One of the most requested features in Russian conditions- representation of the client's interests in his dialogue with various kinds of inspection bodies. In fact, there is a "competition of papers", a dispute about the rights of a client, the interpretation of the norms of the law and procedures for its application. Another frequently used function is "punching" various kinds of permits and licenses through the system of state bodies. Intermediaries specializing in this area thoroughly know the procedures, circulation regime, methods of "accelerating" various types of securities. This group of consultants is, as it were, a "continuation" of our cumbersome management system, access control to scarce resources, and licensing of the most profitable spheres of activity. The payment for the services of such consultants is the price that society pays for the imperfection of our laws and the mechanism of work of state bodies.
In total, there are more than three thousand consulting (according to their charters) companies in Russia. And only every tenth is active in the market. Participates in ratings, has copyright methods, is committed to the development of the industry. However, all Russian consulting does not yet represent a powerful unified business services industry with a developed infrastructure. Therefore, each expert evaluates the capacity of this market based only on his own ideas.
Average clients are Russian companies that have been on the market for about two years. As a rule, their managers or owners are people with technical education who built their business on the basis of common sense, and sometimes intuition, and now they are at a dead end. Increasingly, they are thinking about how to make their business more efficient. Typically, these companies are engaged in manufacturing, retail or wholesale, in other words, private sector with "real" money. There are also computer firms among the clients, but there are not many of them. They mainly order trainings for staff.
More and more people are beginning to understand what management consulting is. Services are becoming more and more professional, the profession of a management consultant is becoming a prestigious profession. The market for consulting services in monetary terms is growing, its structure is changing, the share of Western companies is decreasing, and the share of Russian companies is increasing. There is a tendency for the prices for the services of foreign and domestic consultants to converge.
Two types of tasks were singled out that were more often than others offered for solution to management consulting firms: the independent solution of management problems by the consultant, and equipping the client with special methods of solving problems to obtain results in the future.
Build requests are the most common organizational structure, motivation systems and corporate culture. Today for Russian companies the distribution of powers and responsibilities between the parent company and subsidiaries, the owner and the manager, the first person and the team is very topical. In addition, the focus is often on improving product quality and performance through motivation and shared values.
Recently, the demand for three areas of consulting services has sharply increased: management automation, financial management and, most importantly, the creation of companies. This trend continues today, and I believe that the demand for these services will gradually increase.
Financial management is increasingly developing from the need to support the implementation of budgeting at the enterprise to the development of financing schemes, entering the securities market and the like. A significant share of services is also provided in the field of financial recovery, assistance in the restructuring of accounts payable of enterprises.
And, finally, the most interesting and popular, in my opinion, topic for consulting work is the topic of creating companies. It is clear that our enterprises are not full-fledged companies. Consolidation occurs both due to vertical integration (alignment of manufacturers along the line of one product), and due to horizontal integration (merger of manufacturers of the same type of product). This is how production holdings are formed, which assume a rather tough management system within themselves. If the transformations go too harshly and quickly (for example, the closure of production facilities, their relocation, dragging sales from factories to central structures), then strong resistance from the leaders of the factories and personnel may arise and cause big problems. If the transformation is slow and the owner is afraid to use power, then the creation of the company can be delayed for many years.
There is a gradual alignment of the domestic and foreign markets for consulting services, which, in my opinion, speaks of the gradual recovery of Russian business.
1.8 Effectiveness and effectiveness of counseling.
The effectiveness of counseling is determined by the achievement of the goals specified in the counseling agreement.
For the client, direct and indirect results of counseling can be distinguished (Table 1), both quantitative and qualitative indicators(after all, due to the specifics of consulting activities, quantitative indicators are not always assessable).
Table 1 - Direct and indirect results
It is advisable to indicate in the contract the directions in which management consulting can give positive results, i.e. define a list of indicators. After the diagnostic stage, the consultants inform the customer of the results and from the outside determine a specific indicator by which the effect is determined.
In general terms, the economic effect can be determined by the formula 10:
E = P K1 K2, where E is the economic effect of management consulting; P - change: increase, decrease; K1 - the share of management consulting in the results of work; К2 - the share of participation of consultants in obtaining economic effect... One of the main indicators for evaluating management consulting in production is profit growth. This is due to the fact that this indicator synthesizes a decrease in production costs, an increase in the volume of products sold and assesses the change in the volume of profits. En = [(A2 - A1 / A1)] P1 + [(C1 - C2) / 100)] A2) K1 K2, where En is the economic effect due to the increase in profit; A1 and A2 - the volume of product sales before and after rationalization of work in management; P1 - profit; C1 and C2 - costs per 1 rub. products sold before and after the rationalization of work in management. In some cases, management consulting has a special effect on the work to reduce the nominally variable costs, so this result can be assessed separately using the formula: Ey-n = E K1 K2, where E is the economic effect due to the reduction of nominally variable costs in the prime cost; Ey-n - savings of conditionally variable costs. An assessment of the effectiveness of management consulting can be determined by comparing the results with costs: Ezu = Otp / 3uk K1 K2, where Ezu is the cost effectiveness of management consulting; Otp - an increase in the volume of gross output; Zuk - the cost of management consulting. Under the influence of a number of objective factors, negative growth rates of the main indicators can sometimes develop. In such cases, the cost-effectiveness cannot be calculated. But it is possible to define de-efficiency. De = (B1-B2) K, where De - de-efficiency for a specific indicator; B1 and B2 - expected and actual results for a specific indicator; K - the share of consultants.
For a consultant, performance criteria are profit, output per consultant, etc. (economic indicators), client re-appeal, professional growth, as well as a variety of positive reviews, brand development, recommendations, etc.
2 Management consulting methodology
From the point of view of methods, the following forms of consulting can be distinguished: expert, process and training. The model is chosen depending on the problem being solved, the characteristics of the client organization, the qualities of the consultants (skills, experience, personal qualities). Each of the forms must be considered in more detail.
Expert advice. The client himself forms the task, the expert consultant acts as an expert. The disadvantage of this model is that the consultant develops a recommendation without conducting an independent analysis of the situation. The changes are, again, implemented by the client itself. It is advisable to use the model when it is necessary to gain knowledge of standard procedures and standards.
Educational consulting. The consultant not only collects ideas, analyzes solutions, but also prepares the ground for their emergence, providing the client with relevant theoretical and practical information in the form of lectures, trainings, business games, specific situations ("cases"), etc. The client forms a request for training, programs and forms of training, training groups.
Process consulting. At all stages of the project, consultants actively interact with the client, encouraging him to express his ideas, considerations, suggestions, critically correlate with ideas proposed from the outside, analyze problems with the help of consultants and develop solutions. At the same time, the role of consultants is to collect these external and internal ideas, evaluate the solutions obtained in the process of working together with the client, and bring them into a system of recommendations. This approach is most effective.
To determine the required degree of involvement of the client's personnel in the consultant's activities, it is necessary to measure the costs of the client's time and the results of the consulting work (Figure 1-11).
Figure 1–– Graph of the client's time spent and the results of consulting work
The performance of the consultant is 0 if the client is not involved. With the growth of client involvement, efficiency grows to the optimum point (t opt), after which it begins to fall, which means: the client begins to perform his work for the consultant.
It is clear that the minimum client involvement should be in the implementation of special problems, the maximum - in the solution of strategic tasks.
The consulting process is understood as a sequential series of actions, activities carried out thanks to the joint activities of the consultant and the client to achieve positive changes within the client organization, to resolve its problems.
The consulting process goes through 3 stages:
- Pre-contract stage. The client establishes the presence of a problem and the need to involve consultants for its solution, who, based on the results of preliminary diagnostics, make an offer to the client about the assignment. This stage ends with the conclusion of the contract. Its purpose is to ensure unity in understanding the essence consulting project client and consultant.
- Contractual. Consists of several stages (diagnostics, development of solutions, implementation of solutions), which in turn include procedures. The purpose of the contract stage is to determine specific results and directions of work, to ensure the development and implementation of problem solutions.
- Post-contract. (Final) Departure of the consultant.
The selection of stages in the consulting process provides a structured basis for decision-making, coordinated communications, motivated project organization, tangible results. All this makes it possible to reduce unpredictability, i.e. it turns out to be a well-managed project.
Consultants use a variety of techniques to effectively complete a consulting assignment.
The consulting method is understood as a general scheme (action plan), formed on the basis of the generalized experience of effective consultations of this type, which makes it possible to develop an appropriate action program.
There is the following classification of counseling methods that helps to implement quick search, selection and effective use of the most appropriate organization and model of counseling methods:
1. Methods for solving the substantive part of the problems.
1.1. Diagnostic methods.
1.1.1. Methods of collecting information: polls, interviews, questionnaires, expert assessments.
1.1.2. Information processing methods: data classification, problem analysis, comparison.
1.2. Problem solving methods.
1.2.1. Methods for defining problems: a tree of goals using expert assessments, methods for assessing priorities of problems (expert and logical analysis), a method for constructing a graph of problems.
1.2.2. Methods for developing and evaluating decisions: methods for developing alternative solutions, methods for choosing alternative solutions, methods for analyzing the quality of decisions made, methods for group work.
1.3. Implementation methods.
1.3.1. Experimental test methods: group work, business games.
1.3.2. Methods of transferring the result into real conditions: methods of forming working groups, methods of holding problem meetings.
2. Methods of working with the client.
2.1. Methods for choosing the roles of consultant and client.
2.2. Methods of cooperation and assistance to the client in the implementation of changes.
2.2.1. Methods of education and training of the personnel of the client organization.
2.2.2. Methods for developing the creative potential of the leaders of the client organization.
2.2.3. Methods for increasing the motivation of staff and managers to change: methods of persuasion, methods of using feelings of tension and anxiety, methods of reward and punishment, etc.
There are several methods of counseling (a set of directives indicating the course of action and methods of achieving the set goals):
- Specialized (for special conditions).
- Universal (for all types of organizations, regardless of industry, form of ownership).
2. 3. Management of the consulting project.
Coordination of work and project management in the client organization is carried out by a specially appointed employee of the client organization, endowed with project powers.
For high-quality management of a consulting project, a dossier is formed, which includes terms of reference, materials on the procedure for choosing a consulting firm (consultant), a contract, a work plan; monitoring results, interim assessments, payment schedule and copies of payment documents.
An effective means of interacting with consultants and establishing feedback include 12:
1) work plans and reports:
Analysis of the implementation of work plans;
Interim reports;
Brief reports on key issues;
Complete project report (ideas, analysis, conclusions, recommendations);
Resume for management, leading specialists;
Reports for publication;
2) presentations conducted by consultants on the results of the implementation of the stages of the project.
The rights of consultants when working with documents and personnel of the organization must be negotiated in advance, delimit the areas of work and the responsibility of the external consultant and employees of the organization.
In order to effectively use the services of a consultant, it is necessary to hold regular meetings with consultants in order to agree on the next steps and evaluate the results, constant monitoring is necessary. The team involved in the project must adopt the skills and knowledge of the consultants in order to subsequently be able to do such work on their own.
Having a pre-developed plan facilitates effective implementation of proposals. Allows to reduce resistance to changes affecting some personal or group interests associated with poor project management on the part of the client organization's management and consultants. The implementation mechanism includes:
formation (with the participation of consultants) a team with special powers from the specialists of the client organization for the implementation of proposals agreed and approved by the management;
an estimate of the possible costs associated with the implementation of the recommendations, and the determination of the sources of their coverage;
using the help of consultants to implement the recommendations.
At the end of the project, the client holds a final meeting with the consultants, at which a final assessment of the work done is given, the client receives an answer to the questions that arose in the process of implementing the proposals, and the consultants are convinced of the correct interpretation of their recommendations. The prospects for further cooperation are determined.
Then, the person in charge of the project in the client organization finalizes the dossier, adding:
A brief report on the work done;
Estimated implementation costs;
Assessment of the project and the quality of work.
The project dossier is closed after approval by the head of the client organization.
An important point in the interaction between the consultant and the client is the control over the project implementation. It is carried out both by the client and by the consultant himself during the project (monitoring) and after its completion (evaluating the results). In the course of monitoring, it is determined, first of all, the compliance of the current activities of the consultant with the terms of reference reflected in the contract. It is carried out, on the one hand, by the management of the consulting firm, and on the other, by the client.
Evaluation of the results of the work of consultants can be carried out by the following three main methods.
The first method is to compare the activities of the consultant with the requirements for his work specified in the contract, while an objective assessment of the completeness and quality of the assignment must be determined. The client should determine how well the consultant is adhering to the scope of the assignment. However, even if he goes beyond this framework, the client can still appreciate the qualifications of the consultant. Conversely, if the consultant is too close to the scope of the assignment, the client can spend a lot of effort in adapting the project to the changed situation.
The second method is to assess the consultant's contribution to improving the economic efficiency of the client organization. The impact of his work should be reflected in profits, as well as other financial indicators. The difficulty of this method of assessing the work of consultants lies not only in the complexity of calculating the economic effect in general, but also in determining the share that arises in it precisely due to the work of consultants. In addition, in consulting projects focused on long-term goals, the effect can accumulate for a fairly long time and only indirectly manifest itself in financial results.
The third method is to identify real changes that have arisen as a result of the use of a consultant (new capabilities of the organization's personnel, new systems, new behavior, new programs, new projects).
Since the consulting project is based on the joint actions of the client and the consultant, the unwillingness of any of the parties to cooperate leads to dissatisfaction with the cooperation, and the quality of the consulting project is reduced.
Monitoring must be continuous. At each stage of the consulting project, the client and the consultants compare the result achieved with the desired in the areas: time, finances, information, quality, organization of the consulting process - using data from the client organization's reporting, consultants' reports, etc.
3 Management consulting on the example of Kuppo CJSC
3.1 Organization profile
In the practical part, I will consider the organization ZAO Kuppo, located at 125362, Russian Federation, Moscow, Stroitelny pr-d, 7-a, building 12. The Russian production company Kuppo specializes in roasting and packaging grain and ground coffee. For 12 years of successful work, a rich experience in the field of coffee processing has been accumulated and a leading position in the natural coffee market in Russia has been taken. According to the estimates of international marketing agencies GFK, AC Nilsen in the company sells 15 to 20 percent of all sales of grain and ground coffee in Russia. thirteen
3.2 An example of management consulting at ZAO Kuppo
3.2.1 Problem statement, objects and objectives of counseling
Some time ago, the company began to observe the aggravation of social relations in the team for inexplicable reasons, a significant number of problem situations were noted. To resolve the situation, the company's management decided to invite consultants to conduct a sociological study.
It was proposed to study and analyze the ideas of “ordinary” employees of the firm and its management about the causes of emotional tension in the team, which, in the opinion of the company's management, has a tendency to increase in recent years. At the same time, the management of ZAO Kuppo suggested that such reasons may be not only employee dissatisfaction with their financial situation, but also, possibly, the lack of a clear image of the company's goals and objectives, the lack, in their opinion, of the company's development prospects, etc. .p. or other (unknown) circumstances.
The object for this study was directly the personnel of ZAO Kuppo. Moreover, all categories of workers were studied separately. The research was carried out separately for the management of the company, office employees and the production team.
The psychological state of the personnel, the working microclimate, and conflict situations were investigated. It became clear how clearly and clearly the staff of the company understands its main goals, values, to what extent people relate the company and its success to themselves and their own success.
The consultants set themselves tasks:
–– identifying problems in the corporate climate based on the analysis of the perceptions of the company's employees;
3.2.2 Choice of research methodology
The study of the corporate climate involves research in two directions. The first is related to the assessment of employees' perception of the degree of encouragement by the company of their financial situation. The second allows you to assess the degree of understanding by employees of the strategic goals and priorities of the organization.
The diverse experiences that inform employees' perceptions of how good the corporate climate is include:
–– Method of structuring activities. How the work is structured: are the methods used in the work varied, or is it boring and monotonous? Are the goals and operating principles clearly defined?
–– The nature of formal and informal interpersonal relationships.
–– Procedures according to which remuneration is distributed, including material incentives.
Thus, to analyze the corporate climate in the team, it was necessary to study the material reward; social security; production area of activity; the moral climate in the team.
A complete study of the corporate psychological microclimate in the company was carried out, which included:
–– study of the ideas of twenty employees of the company about the causes of emotional tension in the team;
–– causal analysis of the identified perceptions;
–– a group discussion with four heads of the company on this issue.
Methods for obtaining initial information:
–– observation;
–– anonymous survey;
–– conversation;
–– group discussion.
The algorithm for obtaining information about the opinions of twenty employees directly or indirectly employed in the managerial field of activity was built according to the following scheme. All of them were anonymously surveyed using a specially developed questionnaire. Eight of them were asked to participate in one-on-one interviews with a consultant. At the same time, the emphasis in conversations with them was placed on the study of the opinions and perceptions of respondents about possible problems in a corporate climate. It is important to note that all of them grouped the existing problems in the corporate climate into four blocks:
problems in the adequacy of the assessment of the material remuneration of their work;
issues related to the social protection of employees;
work problems that affect the effectiveness of the relationship between managers and subordinates;
the state of the moral climate in the team.
In fact, the indicated blocks of questions reflect the essential characteristics of the corporate climate and correspond to those groups of questions, on the basis of which the questionnaire was drawn up. The materials of the report and the conclusions (recommendations) presented in it are based on the information provided by these twenty respondents.
3.3 Analysis of ways out of a problem situation
As a result of the analysis, information was obtained on the state of the corporate microclimate, and the psychological state of the personnel of the company "Kuppo" CJSC, in addition to this, hotbeds of tension and their causes were identified. 14
After management took advantage of the consultants' report, the level of dissatisfaction and tension in the team was significantly reduced. A clearer and clearer understanding by the staff of the goals and objectives of the company led to some increase in labor productivity and had a beneficial effect on the corporate climate.
In this case, it can be seen that the management promptly paid attention to this problem. While, unfortunately, for the majority of Russian enterprises it remains open and the issue of collective relationships remains without due attention. The consulting firm fully met the client's expectations. This happened as a result of an adequate assessment of the situation and the correct selection of data collection methods - direct communication with employees.
For the client, in this case, it was beneficial that the issue of relations in the team can be considered even by small consulting companies. The task does not belong to the category of difficult ones. Because if, for example, the introduction of new technologies or the development of new large-scale projects were required, the client would be faced with the problem of limited choice of a consultant. Indeed, as mentioned above, in Russia there are quite big problems with the presence of consulting companies of a certain level. Although in this case the issue of financing is not touched upon. Because the state of the company's finances is stable.
Conclusion
Consulting provides a direct increase in the efficiency of the client company through the methodologies, business models and technologies possessed by the consultants. Secondly, consulting is a kind of "engine of progress", as it contributes to the development of the business environment on the basis of comparing companies with each other. Western companies are clearly aware that, despite the high cost, the services of consulting companies really help them to improve their own efficiency.
To speak about the absence of a market for consulting services in our region is, to put it mildly, wrong. There are individuals and firms that make money (and a lot) in the field of consulting services. But attempts at contacts with the aim of forming a professional environment are scattered. People prefer to “go into the shadows”.
Since our managers have a vague idea of what consulting is, the demand for the services of consultants is unqualified. The problem of the consultant - client relationship - is the inability of the head of the enterprise to formulate a task. That is, it is clear that there is a problem. The demand for products has decreased, it is necessary to "normalize" taxation, there are no funds for development, etc.
But all this is just a consequence of a reason that the manager may not even suspect about, because he looks at the problem one-sidedly, using the stock of knowledge and skills that he has. Another feature of our information culture. Our managers are often excellent technology specialists, but have a vague idea of the actual management disciplines. And one person cannot be a specialist at the same time in the field of accounting, psychology, marketing and information systems. That's what consultants are for. Another thing is worse. Often, target designation and enterprise development strategy are completely absent. Considering its unique development path, our country in this situation cannot refer and be guided by world experience. It is very difficult to make any forecasts. And it is precisely from yesterday's crises, from yesterday's shocks that the problems that today's consultants “feed on” arise. Exactly what was "unresolved" yesterday is becoming the number one problem today and requires an urgent solution. This is where the consultant comes in.
And the tasks being solved today by domestic consultants fit the definition of "post-crisis" for the most part. Restructuring, reorganization, reengineering, implementation, elimination, etc., etc.
And it is very pleasant that recently this tendency has subsided, that things are getting better and more and more often consultants are asked to search, create, discover and similar creativity.
And it is in such a very difficult situation that such an interesting and ebullient industry as management consulting is today.
List of sources used
1 Kubr M. Management consulting, - M .: "Interexpert", 1992, p. 184
2 Posadsky A.P. Basics of consulting. - M .: GU HSE, 1999.
3 Aleshnikova V.I. "Using the services of professional consultants: 17-module program for managers" Management of the development of the organization. " Module 12. - M .: INFRA-M, 2005. - page 25
4 Utkin E.A. "Consulting" textbook for universities M-1998, page 88
6 Rumyantseva Z., Aleshnikova V. Formation of the management consulting market, f. Russian Economic Journal, No. 3, 1993.
7 Tokmakova N.O. Fundamentals of Management Consulting: Study Guide. / M .: Moscow International Institute of Econometrics, Informatics, Finance and Law, 2002. p. 98
8 Blinov A.O., Butyrin G.N., Dobrenkova E.V. "Management consulting of corporate organizations": Textbook. - M .: INFRA-M, 2003.- page 50
9 Tokmakova N.O. A course of lectures on the discipline "Fundamentals of Management Consulting".
10 Efremov V.S. Management consulting as a business, f. "Management in Russia and Abroad", July-August, 1997.
11 Rumyantseva Z., Aleshnikova V. Formation of the management consulting market, f. Russian Economic Journal, No. 3, 1993.
7 Nasakin R. Consulting in Russian, female PC Week # 11, April 2004 Russia (4) Abstract >> Economics
Volume of services sold in the industry managerial consulting in the world, excluding Of Russia and the United States, increased from 25 ... to track how the demand for managerial consulting v Of Russia in recent years. In early 1990 ...
INTRODUCTION
Relevance of the chosen topic Management consulting on resolving an unfavorable situation that arose during management municipal enterprises(on the example of the MUK GDDK "Rodnik") is due to the fact that consulting is one of the few industries with high growth rates (the average annual growth for many years did not fall below 10%). And although the growth rates and trends in the development of management consulting correspond to the global ones, in terms of absolute (volumes of consulting activities, the number of people employed in management consulting) and relative indicators (consultant-to-labor ratio, income per consultant), Russia is still noticeably lagging behind this process compared to Western European countries.
Currently, the country lacks a concept and has not developed a policy for the development of management consulting to resolve adverse situations that have arisen in the management of municipal enterprises. The development of management consulting has identified a new, insufficiently developed not only in domestic, but also foreign theory, problem: a change in the essence and the emergence of a variety of inter-consultant interaction relations.
Objective
Subject of study
Object of study
CHAPTER I. THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL BASIS OF MANAGEMENT CONSULTING
Management consulting methods
Management consulting is one of the methods of developing the management system of organizations (firms, companies), as well as one of the methods of creating and developing social systems. In its broadest sense, management consulting is the process of applying social technologies to social systems.
Social technologies represent the order of stages of interaction between an innovator (in particular, a managerial consultant) and a social system. At each of these stages, the innovator applies a specific set of management tools. At the same time, there are a number of norms and requirements that the activity of an innovator must comply with in order for the innovation process to proceed without destruction and without degradation of the developing social system.
Management consulting is viewed from a functional and professional perspective. 1. From the point of view of a functional approach, consulting is a type of activity aimed at providing assistance to a client, taking into account his interests. At the same time, the consultant is not responsible for how the client uses his service, that is, it is not the consultant who is responsible, but the client. 2.From the perspective of a professional approach, consulting is a consulting service that works under a contract and provides services to clients, from the position of specially trained and qualified persons who help to identify management problems, analyze them, give recommendations on how to solve these problems and assist, if necessary, in the implementation of these solutions. Purpose -> Situation -> Problem -> Decision (implementation process, not the fact of acceptance). According to the definition of the European Federation of Associations of Economic and Management Consultants FEACO, management consulting is the provision of independent advice and assistance on management issues, including the identification and assessment of problems and opportunities, recommendation of appropriate measures and assistance in their implementation.
Consulting components: process, expertise, service, method. Specific traits consulting: 1. Professionalism. Knowledge of the management situation. Practical experience in resolving it. Skills in sharing experiences, identifying problems, finding information, analyzing the situation, communicating with people, planning change and overcoming resistance to change. 2. Conscientiousness. The consultant does not have the right to make decisions, but only recommends what can be done to resolve the situation. 3. Independence. Financial, the presence of their own account and the lack of interest of the consultant in how to dispose of the client with his advice. Administrative, lack of communication and subordination. Political. Emotional, from family and friendships.
With the beginning of market transformations in the economy of the Russian Federation, a new industry appeared - business services. Business services are activities that carry out macro- and microeconomic regulation and maintenance of optimal proportions of the economy, engaged in servicing the main and infrastructural production, as well as public administration. Business service is professional and always paid. The demand for business services appears as the economy develops, and their role is determined by the fact that they create the basis for the growth of well-being and social satisfaction of people.
The functions of business services include: 1. Formation of components of management systems. (personnel systems, technology, logistics, etc.) 2. Implementation of the current maintenance of management processes (legal, audit and other support for projects). 3. Provision of consulting services. 4. Creation, distribution, implementation of management innovations.
The value of business services lies in the fact that they: 1. Create conditions for the efficient functioning of our economy. 2. Contribute to the formation and close interaction of all elements of the infrastructure complex. 3. Free organizations from the need to create additional service units and hire additional personnel.
As a rule, business services are provided simultaneously for several types of activities, one of which is dominant.
Business services require different regulations, from free implementation (consulting) to compulsory licensing (audit), certification, certification and accreditation. Most business service firms provide advice in their area of expertise. 1. Consulting services are part of business services. 2. Management consulting - one of the types of consulting services.
All the variety of social technologies used in management consulting can be divided into two types:
1. Recommended - consists of the following stages:
a thorough study of the customer's situation, comparing the customer's situation with analogs, developing recommendations based on theories, methods and classifiers used by this consulting company, writing a report containing these recommendations and presenting the report to the customer. The result of advisory counseling is carefully thought out, balanced and systematized recommendations.
2. Procedural consulting - claims not so much to develop recommendations as to change the state of the management system and the system of activities of the customer's organization. Therefore, including all the stages listed for advisory consulting, procedural consulting supplements them with various active forms of work with owners, top managers, managers and customer specialists.
Active forms of work are of two types: a) long-term support of the customer's company, up to the temporary replacement of the customer's employees by specialists from the consulting company, who, by their own example, teach the customer's employees to work in a new way; b) various forms of play, which have the advantage that changes in the management system and the system of activity occur much faster (within one to two weeks).
Management consulting methods
1. Individual work with the top officials of the organization (in the form of coaching (training) or advisory consulting). This method of work is typical for both advisory and procedural counseling.
2. Reflexive games and workshops, during which key managers and specialists of the organization (firm, company) participate in the design of the next step in the development of the management system and the system of activity. One of the types of reflective games used in management consulting is "live modeling of collective action." Reflexive games are actively used in procedural consulting such as b). Debugging the management system "in manual mode", when a team of consultants works for a long time with top management, managers and specialists of the company, accompanying each management action and instructing key specialists and managers in detail about new standards of activity and working methods. In this mode, a team of consultants can create new system workflow, collection of marketing and management information, implement computer programs, contributing to the improvement of management efficiency, etc. This method is typical for procedural consulting of type a).
Development and writing of recommendations. Referral consultants develop and write their recommendations based on a thorough analysis of the client's situation and similar situations in the past. Process consultants develop and write recommendations primarily based on the results of live work (in reflective games or in the process of individual and group methods of working with employees of the organization).
Consulting activity is a field of professional services. The expert nature of such assistance means that it is carried out by order of an interested manager and is advisory in nature. The consultant helps, promotes, develops, trains, etc. The consultant does not make decisions, he prepares, calculates alternatives. All responsibility for making a decision rests with the head of the organization. The advantages of counseling over training lie in a specifically individual, “piece” approach. The consultant develops and gives only what, in his opinion, is necessary for the given organization in this situation.
Management consulting links management science with management practice: if research and design organizations offer typical recommendations, then the management consultant "ties" them to the specifics of the organization - the client.
The advantage of management consultants over managers lies in the independence and impartiality of views, in a broader outlook. They have extensive information in a wide variety of areas of management and business (due to less workload with problems of current management), are guided by a broad study of the problem and transfer of the experience of other organizations (this mainly concerns external consultants). Management consulting is carried out by specialists in various fields: lawyers, economists, marketers, analysts, psychologists and sociologists.
One of the newest on our market and the most promising species consulting services are outsourcing and “hire of directors”.
Outsourcing is based on the full or partial transfer of routine functions of an enterprise (for example, such as accounting, tax calculation, personnel management, etc.) to a consulting firm in order to focus its own efforts on solving key strategic objectives.
“Hire of directors” is used when there is a temporary absence of management or a recent dismissal. Organizational development and record keeping or administration, although they are separate types consulting, we referred to management consulting.
Services such as corporate finance management and management accounting are also relatively new in the transition to Western management standards. financial resources very relevant. The main purpose of creating a system management reporting is to provide managers of the enterprise with timely and necessary information for making effective management decisions. The implementation of almost all services is based on the analysis of the existing and expected financial flows of the enterprise.
Management consulting methods are divided into 1) project consulting; 2) consultation process.
The difference between them lies in the organization of the division of labor between the consultant and the client in the process of performing specific tasks.
When consulting a project, the consultant makes a diagnosis and develops proposals for improving management (draws up a project for improving management, but does not take part in the process of implementing its proposals. The consultant acts as a designer who is distinguished by his relatively high independence from the client.
When consulting a process, diagnostics are carried out by the consultant together with the client. At the same time, the consultant undertakes to train the client's employees in the use of diagnostic and problem-solving methods, and the client undertakes to develop proposals for improving management using these methods.
It is advisable to use design consultants when drawing up management procedures, job descriptions, and other projects. Process consultants are best used when developing large complex problems when there are major implementation difficulties.
The choice of the method of consulting depends on the level of management at which the problem is solved.
Management consulting methods are divided into:
Are common- they come from management, and therefore they are identical to management methods. 1. Dialectical. 2. Logical. 3. Empirical.
Local or ad hoc 1. Methods technical aspect, allowing to carry out consulting services for the analysis of information, research of the situation, search for problems, development of alternative solutions. Among these methods, the most widespread are the methods of polling and writing a report.
2. Methods of the human aspect, implemented in the client relations consultant system and based on psychology.
From the point of view of methods, the following forms of consulting can be distinguished: expert, process and training.
The model is chosen depending on the problem to be solved, the characteristics of the client organization, the qualities of the consultants (skills, experience, personal qualities).
Expert advice... The client himself forms the task, the expert consultant acts as an expert. The disadvantage of this model is that the consultant develops a recommendation without conducting an independent analysis of the situation. The changes are, again, implemented by the client itself. It is advisable to use the model when it is necessary to gain knowledge of standard procedures and standards.
Educational counseling... The consultant not only collects ideas, analyzes solutions, but also prepares the ground for their emergence, providing the client with relevant theoretical and practical information in the form of lectures, trainings, business games, specific situations("Cases"), etc. The client forms a request for training, programs and forms of training, training groups.
Process consulting... At all stages of the project, consultants actively interact with the client, encouraging him to express his ideas, considerations, suggestions, critically correlate with ideas proposed from the outside, analyze problems with the help of consultants and develop solutions. At the same time, the role of consultants is to collect these external and internal ideas, evaluate the solutions obtained in the process of working together with the client, and bring them into a system of recommendations. This approach is most effective.
The consulting process is understood as a sequential series of actions, activities carried out thanks to the joint activities of the consultant and the client to achieve positive changes within the client organization, to resolve its problems.
The consulting process goes through 3 stages:
1. Pre-contract stage. The client establishes the presence of a problem and the need to involve consultants for its solution, who, based on the results of preliminary diagnostics, make an offer to the client about the assignment. This stage ends with the conclusion of the contract. Its purpose is to ensure unity in the understanding of the essence of the consulting project by the client and the consultant.
2. Contractual. Consists of several stages (diagnostics, development of solutions, implementation of solutions), which in turn include procedures. The purpose of the contract stage is to determine specific results and directions of work, to ensure the development and implementation of problem solutions.
3. Post-contract. (Final) Departure of the consultant.
The selection of stages in the consulting process provides a structured basis for decision-making, coordinated communications, motivated project organization, tangible results. All this makes it possible to reduce unpredictability, i.e. it turns out to be a well-managed project.
Consultants use a variety of techniques to effectively complete a consulting assignment.
The consulting method is understood as a general scheme (action plan), formed on the basis of the generalized experience of effective consultations of this type, which makes it possible to develop an appropriate action program.
There is the following classification of consulting methods, which helps to quickly find, select and effectively use the most appropriate organization and model of consulting methods:
1. Methods for solving the substantive part of the problems.1.1. Diagnostic methods. 1.1.1. Methods of collecting information: polls, interviews, questionnaires, expert assessments. 1.1.2. Information processing methods: data classification, problem analysis, comparison.
1.2. Problem solving methods. 1.2.1. Methods for defining problems: a tree of goals using expert assessments, methods for assessing priorities of problems (expert and logical analysis), a method for constructing a graph of problems. 1.2.2. Methods for developing and evaluating decisions: methods for developing alternative solutions, methods for choosing alternative solutions, methods for analyzing the quality of decisions made, methods for group work.
1.3. Implementation methods. 1.3.1. Experimental test methods: group work, business games. 1.3.2. Methods of transferring the result into real conditions: methods of forming working groups, methods of holding problem meetings.
2. Methods of working with the client. 2.1. Methods for choosing the roles of consultant and client. 2.2. Methods of cooperation and assistance to the client in the implementation of changes. 2.2.1. Methods of teaching and training the staff of the client organization. 2.2.2. Development methods creativity leaders of the client organization. 2.2.3. Methods for increasing the motivation of staff and managers to change: methods of persuasion, methods of using feelings of tension and anxiety, methods of reward and punishment, etc.
There are several methods of consulting (a set of directives indicating the way of action and methods of achieving the goals): 1. Specialized (for special conditions). 2. Universal (for all types of organization, regardless of industry, form of ownership).
INTRODUCTION
The relevance of the chosen topic Management consulting on resolving an unfavorable situation arising in the management of municipal enterprises (for example, the MUK GDDK Rodnik) is due to the fact that consulting activities are one of the few industries with high growth rates (the average annual growth for many years did not fall below 10 %). And although the growth rates and trends in the development of management consulting correspond to the global ones, in terms of absolute (volumes of consulting activities, the number of people employed in management consulting) and relative indicators (consultant-to-labor ratio, income per consultant), Russia is still noticeably lagging behind this process compared to Western European countries.
Currently, the country lacks a concept and has not developed a policy for the development of management consulting to resolve adverse situations that have arisen in the management of municipal enterprises. The development of management consulting has identified a new, insufficiently developed not only in domestic, but also foreign theory, problem: a change in the essence and the emergence of a variety of inter-consultant interaction relations.
Objective
Subject of study
Object of study
CHAPTER I. THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL BASIS OF MANAGEMENT CONSULTING
Management consulting methods
Counseling is viewed from a functional and professional perspective. 1. From the point of view of a functional approach, consulting is a type of activity aimed at providing assistance to a client, taking into account his interests. At the same time, the consultant is not responsible for how the client uses his service, that is, it is not the consultant who is responsible, but the client. 2.From the perspective of a professional approach, consulting is a consulting service that works under a contract and provides services to clients, from the position of specially trained and qualified persons who help to identify management problems, analyze them, give recommendations on how to solve these problems and assist, if necessary, in the implementation of these solutions.
Purpose -> Situation -> Problem -> Decision (implementation process, not the fact of acceptance). According to the definition of the European Federation of Associations of Economic and Management Consultants FEACO, management consulting is the provision of independent advice and assistance on management issues, including the identification and assessment of problems and opportunities, recommendation of appropriate measures and assistance in their implementation.
Consulting components: process, expertise, service, method. Characteristic features of counseling: 1. Professionalism. Knowledge of the management situation. Practical experience in resolving it. Skills in sharing experiences, identifying problems, finding information, analyzing the situation, communicating with people, planning change and overcoming resistance to change. 2. Conscientiousness. The consultant does not have the right to make decisions, but only recommends what can be done to resolve the situation. 3. Independence. Financial, the presence of their own account and the lack of interest of the consultant in how to dispose of the client with his advice. Administrative, lack of communication and subordination. Political. Emotional, from family and friendships.
With the beginning of market transformations in the economy of the Russian Federation, a new industry appeared - business services. Business services are activities that carry out macro- and microeconomic regulation and maintenance of optimal proportions of the economy, engaged in servicing the main and infrastructural production, as well as public administration. Business service is professional and always paid. The demand for business services appears as the economy develops, and their role is determined by the fact that they create the basis for the growth of well-being and social satisfaction of people (in other words, they help people).
The functions of business services include: 1. Formation of components of management systems. (personnel systems, technology, logistics, etc.) 2. Implementation of the current maintenance of management processes (legal, audit and other project support). 3. Provision of consulting services. 4. Creation, distribution, implementation of management innovations.
The value of business services lies in the fact that they: 1. Create conditions for the efficient functioning of our economy. 2. Contribute to the formation and close interaction of all elements of the infrastructure complex. 3. Free organizations from the need to create additional service units and hire additional personnel. As a rule, business services are provided simultaneously for several types of activities, one of which is dominant. Business services require different regulations, from free implementation (consulting) to compulsory licensing (audit), certification, certification and accreditation. Most business service firms provide advice in their area of expertise. 1. Consulting services are part of business services. 2. Management consulting - one of the types of consulting services.
Management consulting is one of the methods of developing the management system of organizations (firms, companies), as well as one of the methods of creating and developing social systems. In its broadest sense, management consulting is the process of applying social technologies to social systems. Social technologies represent the order of stages of interaction between an innovator (in particular, a managerial consultant) and a social system. At each of these stages, the innovator applies a specific set of management tools. At the same time, there are a number of norms and requirements that the activity of an innovator must comply with in order for the innovation process to proceed without destruction and without degradation of the developing social system.
The whole variety of social technologies used in management consulting can be divided into two types:
1. Referral consulting - consists of the following stages:
a thorough study of the customer's situation, comparing the customer's situation with analogues, developing recommendations based on theories, methods and classifiers used by this consulting company, writing a report containing these recommendations and presenting a report to the customer. The result of advisory consulting is carefully thought out, weighed and systematized recommendations. Among the most famous consulting companies operating in the advisory consulting mode are, etc.
2. Procedural consulting - claims not so much to develop recommendations as to change the state of the management system and the system of activities of the customer's organization. Therefore, including all the stages listed for advisory consulting, procedural consulting supplements them with various active forms of work with owners, top managers, managers and customer specialists. Active forms of work are of two types: a) long-term support of the customer's company, up to the temporary replacement of the customer's employees by specialists from the consulting company, who, by their own example, teach the customer's employees to work in a new way; b) various forms of play, which have the advantage that changes in the management system and the system of activity occur much faster (within one to two weeks).
Management consulting methods
1. Individual work with the top officials of the organization (in the form of coaching (training) or advisory consulting). This method of work is typical for both advisory and procedural consulting.
2. Reflexive games and seminars, during which key managers and specialists of the organization (firm, company) participate in the design of the next step in the development of the management system and the system of activity. One of the types of reflective games used in management consulting is "live modeling of collective action." Reflexive games are actively used in procedural consulting such as b). Debugging the management system "in manual mode", when a team of consultants works for a long time with top management, managers and specialists of the company, accompanying each management action and instructing key specialists and managers in detail about new standards of activity and working methods. In this mode, a team of consultants can create a new document management system, collect marketing and management information, introduce computer programs that improve management efficiency, etc. This method is typical for process consulting of type a). Development and writing of recommendations. Referral consultants develop and write their recommendations based on a thorough analysis of the client's situation and similar situations in the past. Process consultants develop and write recommendations primarily based on the results of live work (in reflective games or in the process of individual and group methods of working with employees of the organization).
Consulting activity is a field of professional services. The expert nature of such assistance means that it is carried out by order of an interested manager and is advisory in nature. The consultant helps, promotes, develops, trains, etc. The consultant does not make decisions, he prepares, calculates alternatives. All responsibility for making a decision rests with the head of the organization. The advantages of counseling over training lie in a specifically individual, “piece” approach. The consultant develops and barks only what, in his opinion, is necessary for the given organization in this situation. Management consulting connects the science of management with management practice: if research and design organizations offer typical recommendations, then the management consultant "ties" them to the specifics of the client organization.
The advantage of management consultants over managers lies in the independence and impartiality of views, in a broader outlook. They have extensive information in a wide variety of areas of management and business (due to less workload with problems of current management), are guided by a broad study of the problem and transfer of the experience of other organizations (this mainly concerns external consultants). Management consulting is carried out by specialists in various fields: lawyers, economists, marketers, analysts, psychologists and sociologists.
Outsourcing and “hire of directors” are some of the newest and most promising types of consulting on our market. Outsourcing is based on the full or partial transfer of routine functions of an enterprise (for example, such as accounting, tax calculation, personnel management, etc.) to a consulting firm in order to focus its own efforts on solving key strategic tasks. “Hire of directors” is used when there is a temporary absence of management or a recent dismissal. Organizational development and office work or administration, although they are separate types of consulting, we attributed to management consulting.
Services such as corporate finance management and management accounting are also relatively new and are very relevant in the transition to Western standards of financial resource management. The main goal of creating a management reporting system is to provide enterprise managers with timely and necessary information for making effective management decisions. The implementation of almost all services is based on the analysis of the existing and expected financial flows of the enterprise.
Management consulting methods are divided into 1) project consulting; 2) consultation process.
The difference between them lies in the organization of the division of labor between the consultant and the client in the process of performing specific tasks. When consulting a project, the consultant makes a diagnosis and develops proposals for improving management (draws up a project for improving management, but does not take part in the process of implementing its proposals. The consultant acts as a designer who is distinguished by his relatively high independence from the client.
When consulting a process, diagnostics are carried out by the consultant together with the client. At the same time, the consultant undertakes to train the client's employees in the use of diagnostic and problem-solving methods, and the client undertakes to develop proposals for improving management using these methods. It is advisable to use design consultants when drawing up management procedures, job descriptions, and other projects. Process consultants are best used when developing large complex problems when there are major implementation difficulties. The choice of the method of consulting depends on the level of management at which the problem is solved.
Management consulting methods are divided into:
Are common- they come from management, and therefore they are identical to management methods. 1. Dialectical. 2. Logical. 3. Empirical.
Local or ad hoc 1. Methods of the technical aspect, allowing to carry out consulting services for the analysis of information, research of the situation, search for problems, development of alternative solutions. Among these methods, the most widespread are the methods of polling and writing a report.
2. Methods of the human aspect, implemented in the client relations consultant system and based on psychology.
In terms of methods, the following forms of counseling can be distinguished: expert, process and training.
The model is chosen depending on the problem to be solved, the characteristics of the client organization, the qualities of the consultants (skills, experience, personal qualities).
Expert advice... The client himself forms the task, the expert consultant acts as an expert. The disadvantage of this model is that the consultant develops a recommendation without conducting an independent analysis of the situation. The changes are, again, implemented by the client itself. It is advisable to use the model when it is necessary to gain knowledge of standard procedures and standards.
Educational counseling... The consultant not only collects ideas, analyzes solutions, but also prepares the ground for their emergence, providing the client with relevant theoretical and practical information in the form of lectures, trainings, business games, specific situations ("cases"), etc. The client forms a request for training, programs and forms of training, training groups.
Process consulting... At all stages of the project, consultants actively interact with the client, encouraging him to express his ideas, considerations, suggestions, critically correlate with ideas proposed from the outside, analyze problems with the help of consultants and develop solutions. At the same time, the role of consultants is to collect these external and internal ideas, evaluate the solutions obtained in the process of working together with the client, and bring them into a system of recommendations. This approach is most effective.
The consulting process is understood as a sequential series of actions, activities carried out thanks to the joint activities of the consultant and the client to achieve positive changes within the client organization, to resolve its problems.
The consulting process goes through 3 stages:
1. Pre-contract stage. The client establishes the presence of a problem and the need to involve consultants for its solution, who, based on the results of preliminary diagnostics, make an offer to the client about the assignment. This stage ends with the conclusion of the contract. Its purpose is to ensure unity in the understanding of the essence of the consulting project by the client and the consultant.
2. Contractual. Consists of several stages (diagnostics, development of solutions, implementation of solutions), which in turn include procedures. The purpose of the contract stage is to determine specific results and directions of work, to ensure the development and implementation of problem solutions.
3. Post-contract. (Final) Departure of the consultant.
The selection of stages in the consulting process provides a structured basis for decision-making, coordinated communications, motivated project organization, tangible results. All this makes it possible to reduce unpredictability, i.e. it turns out to be a well-managed project.
Consultants use a variety of techniques to effectively complete a consulting assignment.
The consulting method is understood as a general scheme (action plan), formed on the basis of the generalized experience of effective consultations of this type, which makes it possible to develop an appropriate action program.
There is the following classification of consulting methods, which helps to quickly find, select and effectively use the most appropriate organization and model of consulting methods:
1. Methods for solving the substantive part of the problems.1.1. Diagnostic methods. 1.1.1. Methods of collecting information: polls, interviews, questionnaires, expert assessments. 1.1.2. Information processing methods: data classification, problem analysis, comparison.
1.2. Problem solving methods. 1.2.1. Methods for defining problems: a tree of goals using expert assessments, methods for assessing priorities of problems (expert and logical analysis), a method for constructing a graph of problems. 1.2.2. Methods for developing and evaluating decisions: methods for developing alternative solutions, methods for choosing alternative solutions, methods for analyzing the quality of decisions made, methods for group work.
1.3. Implementation methods. 1.3.1. Experimental test methods: group work, business games. 1.3.2. Methods of transferring the result into real conditions: methods of forming working groups, methods of holding problem meetings.
2. Methods of working with the client. 2.1. Methods for choosing the roles of consultant and client. 2.2. Methods of cooperation and assistance to the client in the implementation of changes. 2.2.1. Methods of teaching and training the staff of the client organization. 2.2.2. Methods for developing the creative potential of the leaders of the client organization. 2.2.3. Methods for increasing the motivation of staff and managers to change: methods of persuasion, methods of using feelings of tension and anxiety, methods of reward and punishment, etc.
There are several methods of counseling (a set of directives indicating the course of action and methods of achieving the set goals): 1. Specialized (for special conditions) 2. Universal (for all types of organization, regardless of industry, form of ownership).
