<p>AbstractPurposeTo study which and how project management methodologies are applied in consulting firmsApproachThe study begins by reviewing literature on Traditional Project Management (TPM) andAgile Project Management (APM) methodologies ending with characteristics of the twomethodologies that identify a project as applying one methodology or another. The literaturethen reviews the nature of consulting firms emphasising on elements such as the professional,professional services and professional service firms before reviewing how projects areimplemented in consulting firms. A case study design is adopted and semi-structuredinterviews were conducted with PricewaterhouseCoopers-Ghana staff. Patterns from theinterviews are identified and compared with the characteristics of both Traditional and Agileproject management before drawing conclusions on which methodologies are applied andhow they are applied. Since APM is presumed to deal with problems of TPM in complexenvironments, challenges in applying TPM in consulting firms are assessed and the extent towhich APM responds to those challenges are also discussed.FindingsThe findings indicate that TPM is applied in consulting firms mainly for structured projects,whilst APM methods are also applied for some structured projects but very much forunstructured and ‘executory’ projects. APM also deals with some challenges of TPM butthose which are organisation related are not solved by applying APM methods.Research limitationThe limited number of people interviewed for this research is one key issue that limitsgeneralization to all consulting firms. However, it is hoped that this work serves as a basis forfurther research in this field.Practical implicationsThe study shows that whilst TPM will continuously be applied in consulting firms due to thenature of some projects, APM can also be applied to the benefit of consulting projects that areunstructured and ‘executory’. Therefore consulting firms do not need to ‘force’ structure intoall projects.Paper typeMasters Thesis – Research paperKeywordsTraditional project management, agile project management, consulting firms, professional,professional service, professional service firms</p>

AbstractPurposeTo study which and how project management methodologies are applied in consulting firmsApproachThe study begins by reviewing literature on Traditional Project Management (TPM) andAgile Project Management (APM) methodologies ending with characteristics of the twomethodologies that identify a project as applying one methodology or another. The literaturethen reviews the nature of consulting firms emphasising on elements such as the professional,professional services and professional service firms before reviewing how projects areimplemented in consulting firms. A case study design is adopted and semi-structuredinterviews were conducted with PricewaterhouseCoopers-Ghana staff. Patterns from theinterviews are identified and compared with the characteristics of both Traditional and Agileproject management before drawing conclusions on which methodologies are applied andhow they are applied. Since APM is presumed to deal with problems of TPM in complexenvironments, challenges in applying TPM in consulting firms are assessed and the extent towhich APM responds to those challenges are also discussed.FindingsThe findings indicate that TPM is applied in consulting firms mainly for structured projects,whilst APM methods are also applied for some structured projects but very much forunstructured and ‘executory’ projects. APM also deals with some challenges of TPM butthose which are organisation related are not solved by applying APM methods.Research limitationThe limited number of people interviewed for this research is one key issue that limitsgeneralization to all consulting firms. However, it is hoped that this work serves as a basis forfurther research in this field.Practical implicationsThe study shows that whilst TPM will continuously be applied in consulting firms due to thenature of some projects, APM can also be applied to the benefit of consulting projects that areunstructured and ‘executory’. Therefore consulting firms do not need to ‘force’ structure intoall projects.Paper typeMasters Thesis – Research paperKeywordsTraditional project management, agile project management, consulting firms, professional,professional service, professional service firms

A Amazônia Legal, conhecida por sua dimensão territorial e pela magnitude e diversidade de seus recursos naturais, destaca-se como uma região estratégica para o Brasil, mas sua integração ao desenvolvimento socioeconômico nacional foi e continua sendo problemática e conflituosa. Na atualidade, ao menos no plano do discurso oficial, há a busca por modelos alternativos para o desenvolvimento da região, que sejam capazes de aliar a preservação dos recursos naturais com a geração de benefícios econômicos e sociais. O turismo, mais especificamente o ecoturismo, aparece nas políticas públicas dirigidas à região como parte importante desses modelos. Desta forma, consideramos relevante analisar as ações recentes do Estado voltadas à promoção do uso turístico de parcelas do território amazônico, tendo como principal objeto de análise o Programa de Desenvolvimento do Ecoturismo na Amazônia Legal (Proecotur), gerenciado pelo Ministério do Meio Ambiente, de 1996 a 2010. Partimos do pressuposto de que o Estado é, em última instância, quem legitima as formas de uso do território, sendo sua ação e inação contundentes no processo de produção do espaço. Ao analisar, entretanto, as particularidades da produção de políticas públicas de turismo, no âmbito do Proecotur, constatamos a presença de empresas de consultoria assumindo funções tipicamente estatais, sob os paradigmas da descentralização e do enxugamento do Estado, no período áureo das políticas neoliberais. A terceirização de competências públicas nos remeteu a incluir, em nosso estudo, a análise das instituições responsáveis pela gestão pública do turismo nos estados da Amazônia Legal, como também do processo de elaboração de políticas de turismo delegado às empresas de consultoria, fato que denominamos de produção terceirizada de políticas públicas. / Legal Amazon Region, known for its territorial dimension and the magnitude and diversity of its natural resources, stands out as a strategic region for Brazil. However, its integration into the national socioeconomic development still remains problematic and conflictive. Today, at least in which concerns to the official discourse, alternative models created to promote the region development have been improved, able to combine the preservation of natural resources to the generation of economic and social benefits. Tourism, specifically ecotourism, is mentioned in public policies as an important part of these models. Thus, we consider relevant to analyze recent government actions concerning to the promotion of tourism in certain portions of Amazon terrirory, taking, as our main case study, the Program for the Development of Ecotourism in Amazon (Proecotur), managed by the Ministry of Environment between 1996 and 2010. We assume that State is, ultimately, who legitimizes forms of land use, and its action and inaction compelling space production process. When considering, however, the specifications of public policy in the development of tourism within Proecotur, we could notice the presence of consulting firms assuming exclusive State functions, under the paradigm of decentralization and downsizing of the State, in a golden period of neoliberalism. The outsourcing of public powers leaded us to include in our study the analysis of public institutions responsible for the management of tourism in the Amazonian states, as well as the process of developing tourism policies delegated to consulting firms, what we call \"outsourced production of public policy\".

Titel: Humankapital i kunskapsintensiva konsultföretag - En kvalitativ studie om hur humankapital värderas och redovisas i kunskapsintensiva konsultföretag Bakgrund: Humankapital är en del av företagets intellektuella kapital som kan definieras som färdigheter, kompetenser och utbildning som de anställda besitter. Trots vikten av humankapital i företag och specifikt inom kunskapsintensiva företag, har värderingen och redovisningen av det som en tillgång i företagets balansräkning varit en komplex och kontroversiell fråga i decennier. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att få en bättre insikt i hur svenska kunskapsintensiva konsultföretag värderar och redovisar sitt humankapital, vi vill även undersöka hur likheterna ser ut mellan företagen. Vi vill till sist också få en insikt i vilka intressenter som kunskapsintensiva konsultföretag redovisar humankapital till och varför. Metod: En kvalitativ studie har utförts med en abduktiv ansats. Data var baserat på åtta intervjuer med antingen VD eller ekonomiansvarig i kunskapsintensiva konsultföretag. Insamlade data analyserades med en tematisk analys där vi identifierade och analyserade teman. Resultat och slutsats: Företagen värderar humankapital baserat på hur mycket personalen genererar genom branschspecifika nyckeltal. De värderar också humankapitalet kvalitativt och narrativt. Detta redovisas främst till interna intressenter så som företagsledningen, styrelsen och ägare. Den enda externa kommunikationen av humankapital sker till kunder för att del av konsulternas kompetens, erfarenhet etcetera. Två konsultföretag berättar också att deras kunder har krav på humankapitalredovisning genom CV vid uppdrag. / Title: Human capital in knowledge-intensive consulting firms – A qualitative study about how human capital is measured and reported in knowledge-intensive consulting firms Background: Human capital is a part of a firm’s intellectual capital which can be defined as the skill, competence and education of its employees. Despite the importance of human capital in firms and particularly within knowledge-intensive firms, the measuring and accounting of it as an asset in the firm’s balance sheet has been a complex and controversial topic for decades. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to gain a better insight into how Swedish knowledge-intensive consulting firms measure and report their human capital. Furthermore, we also want to investigate how the similarities is shown between the firms. Finally, we want to gain insight into which stakeholders that knowledgeintensive consulting firms report human capital to and why. Methodology: A qualitative study has been conducted with an abductive approach. The data was based on eight interviews with the CEO or the CFO in knowledgeintensive consulting firms. The collected data was analyzed with a thematic analysis where we identified and analyzed themes. Results and conclusions: The firms measure human capital based on how much the employees generate through industry-specific performance indicators. They also measure human capital qualitatively and narratively. This is mainly reported to internal stakeholders such as management, board and owners. The only external communication of human capital is to clients in order to share the consultants’ expertise, experience etcetera. Two consulting firms also say that their clients have requirements for human capital accounting through CV’s.

This study explores student-consulting firms and how a strong organizational culture can be a key to mitigate their particular challenge of high employee turnover and how their management can work with different dimensions of organizational culture as tools to embed a strong organizational culture. A student-consulting firm is a consulting firm operated by students still engaged in regular educational programs that can be considered a form of knowledge-intensive firm (KIF). This study investigates how management in these firms work with organizational cul- ture through four dimensions, symbols, heroes, rituals and ceremonies, and values. These dimensions are based on Schein [1990] and extended by input from Hofstede et al. [1990] and Bolman and Deal [2003]. The findings of this study are based on three detailed case studies conducted at the three largest student-consulting firms in Sweden where semi-structured interviews were performed to investigate how manage- ment work with different managerial tools in these four dimensions. This study concludes that there are at least eleven discreet management tools that are used in these firms to mitigate the challenges that their high employee turnover implies. The findings provide in-depth insight into these tools and their usage and effect, thereby enhancing the understanding of the role of organizational culture and providing a framework for management.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:50:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 5324.pdf: 2666277 bytes, checksum: a4ed670ff974b3a42ae4a7a23edabe60 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-06-24 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / The emergence of Sustainable Development and thereafter , of Corporate Sustainability, integrated representative elites of social space that until then were developing independently .Furthermore it showed new ways of conduct in the corporative environment ,favoring the emergence of a new market ,with new actors and services, specialized in orientating the client towards a sustainable conduct . As this idea is institutionalized it starts being adopted among many consulting groups , inaugurating new polarization in this universe, .This doctorate research supported on the new Economic Sociology by Pierre Bourdieui investigated the processes of identity formation and identity construction, such as their relations in this new constituted social space, of Consulting Sustainability in Brazil. / O surgimento do Desenvolvimento Sustentável e posteriormente, da Sustentabilidade Empresarial, integrou elites representantes de espaços sociais que até aquele momento se desenvolviam de formas independentes. Além disso, evidenciou novas formas de conduta no ambiente corporativo, favorecendo o surgimento de um novo mercado, com novos atores e serviços especializados em orientar clientes na direção de uma conduta Sustentável . Na medida em que essa ideia se institucionaliza, passa a ser adotada por diversos grupos de consultorias, inaugurando novas polarizações neste universo. Essa pesquisa de doutorado, apoiada nas inspirações da Nova Sociologia Econômica de Pierre Bourdieu, investigou os processos de formação e de construção de identidades, tais como suas relações neste novo espaço social constituído, das consultorias em Sustentabilidade no Brasil.

Cette thèse a pour objet d’étudier les tensions que traversent les activités de services professionnels (audit, conseil...) depuis une trentaine d’années, à travers le prisme des enjeux d’équilibre de vie. Alors que ces entreprises sont mises en cause dans les medias pour leurs pratiques managériales encourageant leurs salariés à se dépasser sans cesse, elles n’ont jamais été aussi actives dans leur communication sur les enjeux de qualité de vie au travail. A travers l’analyse des travaux existants, nous montrons que le système incitatif en up- or-out des organisations professionnelles repose sur le présupposé que les professionnels aspirent principalement à être récompensés de leurs efforts par des bonus et des promotions. A travers l’analyse de 58 récits de carrière de consultants, nous identifions deux autres dimensions clés de leur expérience au travail : la nature des projets qui leurs sont assignés et l’équilibre de vie. Nous explicitons les techniques qu’ils mettent en œuvre pour tenter de répondre à ces aspirations. Dans un deuxième temps, après avoir analysé le discours managérial en vigueur dans 9 cabinets sur ces questions, nous décrivons - à travers l’étude comparative de deux cabinets de conseil – les ajustements qu’ils mettent en place pour mieux les soutenir. Nous discutons l’ampleur de la remise en cause du modèle d’organisation traditionnel de ces entreprises par ces évolutions, dans un contexte où elles sont de plus en plus menacées, que ce soit par une faible croissance de leurs activités, une pression sur les coûts, la sophistication de la demande des clients ou par un phénomène d’uberisation qui touche de façon croissante les services professionnels. / This thesis aims at studying the tensions that professional service firms (audit firms, consultancies...) have been facing for the past thirty years, through the lens of work-life balance. While these firms are increasingly questioned in the media for their managerial practices that encourage their salaries to excel themselves; they have never been so active in communicating on quality of work-life. Through a review of the literature, I show that the up- or-out incentive system of professional organisations lies on the assumption that professionals all mostly aspire to see their commitment rewarded by bonuses and promotions. Through the analysis of 58 consultants’ career stories, I identify two additional dimensions of their experience at work: the nature of the projects they are assigned and work-life balance. Then, the techniques they use to fulfil these aspirations are described. Second, after studying the managerial discourse on work-life balance in 9 consultancies, through the comparative case study of two firms I analyse the adjustments they have implemented to accommodate individual needs. I discuss the extent to which these evolutions challenge the traditional organisation of professional service firms, at a time when they are increasingly threatened by low levels of growth in the industry; pressure on cost; the sophistication of clients’ demands and the uberisation of the economy, which has also reached professional services.

In consulting firms one of the goals is to have the consultants on an assignment with an external client to bring in capital. In some consulting firms, when the consultants are not on an assignment with a client, they work on internal projects until a new assignment arrives. Since most of the team members do not work for more than a few days or weeks on the projects, it leads to a high team member turnover. In projects with such a turnover, problems such as hasty handovers, unclear roles and responsibilities and low-quality documentation may occur. The purpose of this thesis was to create guidelines to improve teamwork in teams with a high team member turnover. This thesis was based on a case study of a company specializing in information technology and management consulting. To begin to tackle this problem, a literature review was conducted and the data was collected by conducting interviews. The interviews were performed with team members that had been on a project for the longest and shortest period of time in order to identify problems from different perspectives. Based on the interviews and the literature study, guidelines were created to counteract the problems experienced in this type of volatile teams. The guidelines are categorized in four areas: processes, resources, people and long-term perspective. The areas cover the problems experienced and can be ultimately implemented in all teams with high team member turnover to improve teamwork in software projects. / I konsultföretag är ett av målen att konsulterna ska vara på uppdrag hos en extern kund för att dra in pengar. I vissa konsultföretag, när konsulterna inte är hos en extern kund, arbetar de på interna projekt tills dess att ett nytt uppdrag kommer. Eftersom de flesta teammedlemmar inte jobbar i mer än några dagar på dessa interna projekt leder det till en hög omsättning av projektmedlemmar. I projekt med den typen av höga omsättning kan problem uppstå som förhastade överlämningar, otydliga roller och skyldigheter samt lågkvalitativ dokumentation. Målet med denna uppsats var att skapa riktlinjer för att förbättra lagarbete i teams med hög omsättning av projektmedlemmar. Denna uppsats var baserad på ett fallstudie på ett företag som är specialiserat på informationsteknik och management consulting. För att börja tackla detta problem utfördes en litteraturstudie och data samlades in genom intervjuer. Intervjuerna utfördes med de teammedlemmar som har deltagit i projektet längst respektive kortast tid, för att identifiera problemen utifrån olika perspektiv. Baserat på intervjuerna och litteraturstudien, skapades riktlinjer för att motverka dessa problem som uppstår i sådana typer av rörliga team. Riktlinjerna kan kategoriseras i fyra områden: processer, resurser, människor och långtids perspektiv. Dessa områden täcker de upplevda problemen och kan implementeras av teams som har hög omsättning av medlemmar för att förbättra arbetet inom teamet i mjukvaruprojekt.

Det allmänna forskningsfältet om personalomsättning är nyanserat då det påvisar både positiva och negativa konsekvenser av personalomsättning. Samma forskningsfält inom konsultbranschen har däremot alltjämt brist på nyanserad forskning. I stället framställer det personalomsättning som negativt och fokuserar enbart på hur konsultföretag ska arbeta för att behålla anställda. Samtidigt är managementkonsultföretag i behov av numerisk och funktionell flexibilitet, där personalomsättning kan utgöra en del i att uppnå dessa. Även HR-aktiviteter har visat sig vara viktiga för konsultföretags flexibilitet och konkurrenskraft. Frågetecken uppstår därmed kring vilka HRaktiviteter som bidrar till managementkonsultföretagens flexibilitet, samt huruvida personalomsättning i managementkonsultföretag egentligen är så negativt som forskningsfältet i branschen menar. Studiens syfte är att skapa en djupare förståelse för hur personalomsättning påverkar numerisk och funktionell flexibilitet i managementkonsultföretag. För att förstå detta ämnar studien även till att undersöka vilka HR-aktiviteter som bidrar till numerisk respektive funktionell flexibilitet. Detta med en förhoppning om att generera en nyansering till konsultbranschens forskningsfält, som idag inte antar en nyanserad syn på personalomsättning. Studien är en kvalitativ flerfallstudie där empiriskt material har insamlats genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med partners och chefer från sju managementkonsultföretag i Sverige. Studien tar avstamp i ett hermeneutiskt vetenskapligt synsätt och med en iterativ ansats. Slutligen har den empiriska datan analyserats genom en tematisk analysmetod. Personalomsättning påverkar managementkonsultföretags numeriska och funktionella flexibilitet positivt, då det bland annat möjliggör ett lämpligt antal konsulter med högkvalitativ kompetens i företagens karriärstegar. Numerisk och funktionell flexibilitet påverkas dock även negativt av personalomsättning då det komplicerar för managementkonsultföretagen att möta efterfrågan samt att viktiga nyckelkompetenser går förlorade. Det onyanserade forskningsfältet om personalomsättning i konsultbranschen framställer därmed inte en helt korrekt bild av verkligheten. I stället kan konstateras att det nyanserade allmänna forskningsfältet om personalomsättning är mer applicerbart för denna studie. Slutligen, de HR-aktiviteter som bidrar till numerisk och funktionell flexibilitet i managementkonsultföretag är arbetsgivarvarumärke, rekrytering, utbildning samt exit-hantering. / The general field of research on employee turnover is nuanced as it demonstrates both positive and negative consequences of employee turnover. The same field of research in the consulting industry, on the other hand, still lacks nuanced research. Instead, it presents employee turnover as negative and focuses only on how consulting firms should work to retain employees. At the same time, management consulting firms need numerical and functional flexibility, where employee turnover can be a part of achieving these. HR activities have also proven to be important for consulting firms' flexibility and competitiveness. Question thus arises as to which HR activities contribute to the flexibility of management consulting firms, and whether employee turnover in management consulting firms is as negative as the research field in the industry believes. The purpose of the study is to create a deeper understanding of how employee turnover affects numerical and functional flexibility in management consulting firms. To understand this, the study also aims to investigate which HR activities contribute to numerical and functional flexibility. This with a hope of generating a nuance to the consulting industry's research field, which today does not adopt a nuanced view of employee turnover. The study is a qualitative multiple-case study where empirical material has been collected through semi-structured interviews with partners and managers from seven management consulting firms in Sweden. The study is based on a hermeneutic scientific approach and with an iterative approach. Finally, the empirical data have been analyzed using a thematic analysis method. Employee turnover has a positive effect on management consulting firms' numerical and functional flexibility, as it enables, among other things, a suitable number of consultants with highquality competence in the firms' career ladders. However, numerical and functional flexibility is also negatively affected by employee turnover as it complicates for management consulting firms to meet demand and that important key competencies are lost. The nuanced research field on employee turnover in the consulting industry thus does not present a completely correct picture of reality. Instead, it can be stated that the nuanced general research field on employee turnover is more applicable for this study. Finally, the HR activities that contribute to numerical and functional flexibility in management consulting firms are employer branding, recruitment, training and exit management.

Bakgrund: Konsultbolags främsta utmaning är att förse sina kunder med efterfrågad kompetens. De verkar inom en kunskapsintensiv bransch, där affärsidén kretsar kring deras mänskliga resurser. För att kunna tillgodose efterfrågan deras kunder har idag och i framtiden, krävs en inblick i vad för kompetens som organisationen innehar, för att kunna arbeta på ett långsiktigt sätt med detta. Då arbetsmarknaden idag består till största del av kvalificerade arbeten, så har konkurrensen kring att rekrytera människor med rätt erfarenhet och utbildning ökat. Konsultbolagen som intervjuats för denna studie hyr alla ut spetskompetens, vilket innebär personer med kompetens inom specifika arbetsområden. För att organisationer ska vara lönsamma, krävs att de klarar av att förutse framtidens krav, och kan kompetensförsörja utefter dem, via rekrytering, utveckling och genom att behålla kompetensen inom organisationen.Syfte: Studiens syfte är att öka förståelsen för hur konsultbolag arbetar strategiskt med kompetensförsörjning. Då konsultbolag verkar inom en kunskapsintensiv bransch, där affärsidén är att hyra ut spetskompetens, ämnar studien att undersöka hur de säkerställer att organisationen innehar rätt kompetens för att tillfredsställa kundernas efterfrågan idag, och i framtiden.Metod: Studien har genomförts med kvalitativ metod, med semistrukturerade intervjuer som datainsamlingsmetod. Sju informanter från lika många konsultbolag har svarat på intervjufrågor gällande arbetet med HR och kompetensförsörjning. Valet av metod grundas i studiens syfte, för att få djupare förståelse för konsultbranschens arbete med kompetensförsörjning.Slutsats: Resultatet av studien visar på att konsultbolagen som deltagit, arbetar med att rekrytera, utveckla och behålla kompetens för att tillgodose kunder med efterfrågad kunskap, men även att det skiljer sig mycket var fokus ligger från konsultbolag till konsultbolag. Studiens resultat visar på att de olika konsultbolagen arbetade med de olika delarna av kompetensförsörjning, men slutsatsen är att de inte sammankopplade aktiviteterna för att arbeta strategiskt med dem. Resultatet visar även att5kompetenskartläggning är av yttersta vikt för att konsultbolag ska kunna arbeta långsiktigt och effektivt med kompetensförsörjning. / Background: Consulting firms biggest challenge is to provide their clients with their required competence. Since consulting firms are active in a very knowledge-intense market, where the mission of their business is formed around the most efficient use of their human resources. The main goal is to provide their clients with their required competence, and to be able to do that they need to have good insight regarding what sort of competencies that are actually requested, both in short and long term. The market has gone from a fair mix of unqualified and qualified positions, to mostly qualified work positions. This means that the overall competitiveness has risen to a new level, and that means that companies are facing the challenge of wanting to recruit the same individuals. Companies that are active in these knowledge-intense markets need individuals that have the right experience combined with the right education, and that is a challenge.Purpose: The aim of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of how consulting firms work strategically to provide their clients with required competence. Furthermore the study aims to examine how consulting firms make sure that they possess the required competence, today and in the future. Since there’s not a lot of previous research on the subject, this study hopes to open up for further research opportunities.Method: Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data for the study. Seven informants from seven consulting firms were asked questions about their HR-activities and how they supply their company with competence. The choice of method is based on the purpose of the study, to gain a deeper understanding for consulting firms challenges in their work with supplying competence.Conclusion: The conclusion of this study shows that all of the companies that took part, are working with recruiting, developing and retaining their human resources. The results also show that all of the consulting firms that took part in this study, all have a different approach to the parts of the process of supplying competence. Strategic approach is what is lacking in planning efforts for recruitment, development and retaining personnel. The consulting firms that participated all lack in connecting the HR-activities to reaching their companies main goal, to work in a strategic manner. The results also point to the7importance of competency mapping to be able to work with developing the company through their human resources in an efficient way.