CONSULTING, COMMUNICATION AND CHANGE

Transcription

1 UPPSALA UNIVERSITY MASTER COURSE CONSULTING, COMMUNICATION AND CHANGE COURSE DESCRIPTION, STUDY GUIDE, LITERATURE LIST & SCHEDULE SPRING 2013 Course director: Phd in Management, Assistant professor Susanna Alexius Version 10 March 2013

2 Welcome to the CCC-course! What will you learn? Purpose of the course The industry of management consulting has grown dramatically in the past decades. Management consultants broadly defined including IT-, PR-, CSR-, staffing, financial consultants and more play a prominent part in organizations of all kinds and will thus be a part of most if not all business students future lives and careers. Some students will become consultants themselves, for other students, consulting will be a service to be purchased. Most students will have consultants as co-workers at some point in their career. This course introduces students to consulting as a multi-facetted practice and influential phenomenon in everyday organizational life. The aim is to give practical insights and provide a multi perspective theoretical understanding of consulting. As consultants frequently are engaged as change agents, this course takes organizational change as one of its two additional themes. The other being strategic communication. More specifically, the purpose of the course is to: 1) Enable students to critically analyze and contrast different scientific perspectives of consultants and their work in relation to organizations and wider society. 2) Give students insight into practical management consultancy regarding various aspects of both delivery and purchasing of consulting services. Students are trained to independently and critically formulate and analyze central practical and theoretical problems within the subject area, both orally and in writing, both in teams and individually. When having completed the course, the students should be: - able to discuss and analyze the development and growth of various forms of consulting sub-fields (such as PR-consultants and CSR-consultants) - able to discuss and contrast various perspectives of consultants and consultancies and critically analyze these in relation to organization theories - able to independently handle complex information, identify problems and develop solutions in relation to various central problems at management level in organizations - able to discuss ethical dilemmas which may occur in management consulting - acquainted with, be critical to and have some limited user practice a few of the many methodological and analytical tools of consulting - able to organize and carry out team projects together with 3-4 other students and independently establish contact with and conduct an interview series at a consultancy firm - able to orally, in writing and visually present arguments in an objective interesting and convincing manner. 3

3 How is the course organized and taught? Compulsory attendance to lectures and seminars This course involves a number of parallel learning processes with the lectures and literature seminars as the central hub. Since we meet only once a week most weeks typically Tuesdays, and we have invited respected guest lecturers, ALL class sessions are compulsory. This is to respect guest lecturers and foremost to enable your learning as lectures and seminars are our chance to discuss and debate, follow up on questions and any loose threads, prepare for exam and really get to the core of the subject. Active participation in and between sessions At this advanced level of study I expect you all to be focused and motivated and to always come well prepared to class, as I of course promise to do as well. Active class participation is the key to successful completion of this course. It will enable you to reach the course objectives and do well in the assignments and exam. Assignments Learning points from last lecture and seminar Every week (typically on Fridays 10 AM) a 1-page individual reflection assignment is due (hand in via ). The purpose of these weekly assignments is to follow up on guest lectures and let them (and me) know what you learnt during the session and how you have come to reflect on this learning. If you want, you can relate your learning points to the literature (recommended). Prepare Exam Qs There are two literature seminars in this course. These are precious opportunities to help you analyze the readings and prepare for the written exam. Each of the two literature seminars covers readings from several class sessions. I recommend that you meet up with co-students in your smaller study groups to prepare these Exam Qs. This allows us to do the most of our two literature seminars. Team project - on a given consulting firm and course theme of your choice Each study group of 4 students is assigned one of our five course firms. In collaboration with the contact person at your course firm you are to choose a course related topic and perform a round of minimum 5 interviews (or equivalent material). This mini-investigation of some aspect of the consultancy practice is to be presented orally (approx 20 minutes/group, preferably including a PPT-presentation, film or otherwise, creativity is allowed) in class on 21 May and in a written academic 4

4 shortpaper of maximum 5000 words (not including references and appendices). A representative from each consultancy will join us in class for the oral presentations. The five course consultancy firms of CCC 2013 are: 1. Capgemini Consulting (contact: Alexander Losten), alexander.losten@gapgemini.com 2. Hallvarsson & Halvarsson (contact: Karolina Dubowicz), karolina.dubowicz@halvarsson.se 3. Prime (contact: Amanda Engström) amanda.engstrom@primegroup.com 4. PWC (contact: Johan Sverker) johan.sverker@se.pwc.com 5. Ramböll (contact: Matilda Ardenfors) matilda.ardenfors@r-m.com Written exam 4 hours. 28 May. Re-take on 23 August. The hand out Qs and individual learning points are a good source when preparing for the exam. About grading and absence The grades used are passed with distinction (VG), passed (G) and fail (U). Students are given a final grade of 7,5 credits. To obtain a final grade G for the entire course, a minimum grade of G is required for all assignments. The required assignments Learning point from guest lecture and seminar are only graded G or U. If you fail to submit or fail to pass one of these assignments you will have to redo/compensate in order to get a G and pass the course. The team project and the written exam are graded using the full scale VG-U. For the grade VG on the course, the grades for both the written examination and the project work should be VG and the entire series of seminars should be finished. NOTE. All remaining tasks must be completed and handed in no later than 4 weeks after the first exam on 1 June. If this is not done you will not receive a passing grade (G) for the task and the entire course- including all the assignments- must then be redone a following semester. Only a finished course can count in a degree. 5

5 If you happen to be absent from a session, whether sick or otherwise, there will be an additional written assignment equivalent to approx 3 hours of work. It could be to formulate an exam question on the required readings or to do a literature review of one of the guest lecturers publications. We only meet once a week most weeks, so please take measures to come to all sessions. But if you know you will be absent, please let me know as soon as possible. Literature Apart from the course book and the book chapters, all papers can be downloaded from the library system. Book chapters will be handed out in the introductory lecture. Course book O Mahoney, J (2012) Management Consultancy. Oxford University press. or the earlier edition of Optional books, if you want to expand beyond the mandatory readings: Armbrüster, T (2010) The Economics and Sociology of Management Consulting. Cambridge University Press. Collins, J. and Porras, J. (2002). Built to Last: Successful habits of visionary companies. Harper Business. McKenna, C (2006) The World s Newest Profession: Management Consulting in the Twentieth Century. Cambridge University Press. Wickham, T & Wickham, L (2008) Management Consulting: Delivering an Effective Project, 3 rd edition. Pearson Education. Book chapters (handed out in introductory lecture) Alexius, S & Furusten, S (2005) Dealing with Values. In Furusten, S & Werr, A (eds) Dealing with confidence. Copenhagen Business School Press, p Furusten, S (forthcoming, 2013). Institutional Theory and Organizational Change. Chapters 1 and 7: Organizing beyond management and market (chapter 1) and The institutional environment and organizational change (chapter 7). Sheltenham: Edward Elgar. 6

6 O Mahoney (2010) special web chapter Typical clients. (Addition to course book). Pallas, J & Fredriksson, M (fortcoming, 2013) Strategic Communication as Translation and Institutional Work in Holtzhausen, D. & Zerfass, A. (eds.) Handbook of Strategic Communication. New York, Routledge. Windell, K (2006) The Commercialization of CSR. In Windell, K (2006) Corporate Social Responsibility under Construction: Ideas, Translations and Institutionl Change, ph d thesis, Department of Business Studies, Uppsala University. Articles Brunsson, N (1989) Administrative Reforms as Routines. Scandinavian Journal of Management, vol 5 (3): Caldwell, R (2003) Models of Change Agency: A Fourfold Classification. British Journal of Management, vol 14: Christensen, L T, Firat, A F, Cornelissen, J (2009) New tensions and challenges in integrated communications. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, vol 14 (2): Fincham, R, Clark, T, Handley, K and Sturdy, A (2008) Configuring expert knowledge: the consultant as sector specialist. Journal of Organizational Behavior, vol. 29: Furusten, S.; Werr, A. and Alexius, S. (2012). Idealist innovations and Emperor s new clothes CSR and the consultancy sector. What services are offered and by whom? Paper presented at the 28th EGOS Colloquium, subtheme 50 Management consultancy: Exploring the Boundaries and Alternatives, Helsinki 5-7 July. Grafström, M & Windell, K (2011) The Role of Infomediaries: CSR in the Business Press During Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 103: Hagenmeyer, U (2007) Integrity in management consulting: a contradiction in terms? Business Ethics: A European Review, vol 16(2): Hallahan, K; Holtzhausen D; van Ruler, B; Sriramesh, K (2007) Defining Strategic Communication. International Journal of Strategic Communication 1(1): Kipping, M (1999) American Management Consulting Companies in Western Europe, 1920 to 1990: Products, Reputation and Relationships. The Business History Review 73(2),

7 Sturdy, A (2011) Consultancy's Consequences? A Critical Assessment of Management Consultancy's Impact on Management. British Journal of Management, vol 22, Sturdy, A; Clark, T; Fincham, R; Handley, K (2009) Between Innovation and Legitimation Boundaries and Knowledge Flow in Management Consultancy. Organization, vol. 16(5): Werr, A and Pemer, F (2007) Purchasing management consulting services From management autonomy to purchasing involvement. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, vol. 13: Werr, A & T Stjernberg (2003) Exploring Management Consulting Firms as Knowledge Systems. Organization Studies, vol 24(6): Whittle, A (2008) From Flexibility to Work-Life Balance: Exploring the Changing Discourses of Management Consultants. Organization, vol 15(4): A few additional readings may be distributed throughout the course. 8

8 SCHEDULE Sessions & s TOPIC & LECTURERS ASSIGNMENTS LITERATURE Session 1 Fri 22 March, K320 Welcome to class! Introductory lecture by Susanna Alexius, assistant professor in management at Score, SSE and SU O Mahoney 1 Optional : Armbrüster (2010) Fri 29 March 10 AM Individual assignment 1 Hand in 1 p on own experiences of consultants and consulting and expectations on the course Session 2 Tue 2 April, A138 Consultants as institutional actors and the rise of the expert society Lecture by, Furusten (forthcoming, 2013) O Mahoney 2, 3 Kipping (1999) Staffan Furusten, Associate professor in management at Score, SSE and SU. Optional: McKenna (2006) Session 3 Literature seminar 1 for sessions 1-2 and prepare Exam Qs Tue 2 April B139 on Exam questions, part A (handed out in the introductory seminar) with Susanna Alexius 9

9 Fri 5 April 10 AM Individual assignment 2 Hand in 1 p with learning point Session 4 The Reforming Organization a lecture on consultants and organizational change O Mahoney 8 Brunsson (1989) Tue 9 April Caldwell (2003) A138 Sturdy (2011) Lecture by Nils Brunsson, professor in Management at UU. Whittle (2008) Session 5 Tue 9 April B139 Literature seminar 2 on Exam questions, part B (handed out in the introductory seminar) NOTE: And oral follow-up on team project initiation. Research question and design., prepare answers to Exam Qs and prepare to present your ideas of topic for the team project orally with Susanna Alexius Fri 12 April 10 AM Individual assignment 3 Hand in 1 p with one learning point 10

10 Session 6 3 hours CSR and sustainability s Grafström & Windell (2011) Tue 16 April 9-12 K Media and the popularization of a management idea lecture by Maria Grafström, Associate professor in Management at Score, SSE and SU. Windell (chapter 6) How do consultants relate to the sustainability idea? Furusten, Werr & Alexius (2012) lecture by Susanna Alexius, Assistant professor in Management at Score, SSE and SU Session 7 Tue 16 April K320 Practitioner s view - CSR and Sustainability consulting Lecture by Hanna Björkman, former CCC-student (2012) about her internship at The Natural Step Sweden Wed 17 April Open lecture on strategic communication (to be announced) Not compulsory. Fri 19 April 10 AM Individual assignment 4 Hand in 1 p with learning point 11

11 Session 8 Tue 23 April Consulting from a client perspective O Mahoney 4 and additional O Mahoney web chapter Typical clients Werr and Pemer (2007) A138 Lecture by Frida Pemer, Sturdy et al. (2009) Assistant professor in Management at SSE Session 9 Tue 23 April Guest lecture by Karin Mikaelsson från Karlöf Consulting NOTE: B153 In collaboration with the course: Controlling with communication, values and culture Fri 26 April 10 AM Individual assignment 5 Hand in 1 p with one learning point Session 10 A practitioners view - lessons from my professional life as a consultant - and client O Mahoney 4,5,7,10 Optional: Fri 3 May A138 Lecture by Krister Rydmark, Head of Financial Services at Capgemini Consulting Wickham & Wickham (2008) Session 11 Fri 3 May K320 Value creation in management consulting Lecture by Andreas Werr, Professor in Management at SSE O Mahoney 5,6 Werr and Stjernberg (2003) Alexius & Furusten (2005) Fincham et al (2008) 12

12 Mon 6 May 10 AM Individual assignment 6 Hand in 1 p with one learning point from guest lecture. Session 12 Tue 7 May K336 Session 13 Tue 7 May B139 Organizations Communication ideals and practice Lecture by Josef Pallas, associate professor in Management at UU Presentation Skills - Logical Thinking and Structuring Lecture by Alexander Losten, former CCC-student (2010) and consultant at Capgemini Consulting, Marketing, Sales and Services Hallahan et al. (2007) Christensen et al (2009) Pallas & Fredriksson (forthcoming, 2013) O Mahoney Fri 10 May 10 AM Individual assignment 7 Hand in 1 p with one learning point Session 14 Wed 15 May B159 A practitioner s view Leading experts by culture... Lecture by Anders Fredriksson, Manager from Netlight Consulting O Mahoney Optional: Collins & Porras (2002) Session 15 Ethics and ethos of consulting O Mahoney 9 Hagenmayer (2007) Wed 15 May K320 Lecture by Magnus Frostenson, Associate professor at UU and Örebro University 13

13 Fri 17 May 10 AM Individual assignment 8 Hand in 1 p with one learning point Mon 20 May 10 AM Session 16 Tue 21 May A156 Session 17 Tue 21 May A156 Team project written shortpaper Team project presentations with Susanna Alexius Team project presentations continue with Susanna Alexius Assignment instructions are given in the introductory lecture Assignment instructions are given in the introductory lecture Assignment instructions are given in the introductory lecture Session 18 Fri 24 May A156 Wrap up lecture what have we learnt and what does it matter? by Susanna Alexius EXAM 4 hours Tue 28 May 8-12 Room: To be announced Written exam 14

14 EXAM (re-take) Written exam (re-take) 4 hours Fri 23 August, 8-12 Room: To be announced Dear students, Please note that all sessions are compulsory (except optional lecture on 17 April). Additional assignments will be handed out to compensate for any absence. Welcome to class, looking forward to seeing you all on 22 March! Susanna Alexius, course director Assistant professor, researcher and lecturer Contact: susanna.alexius@hhs.se (or susanna.alexius@fek.uu.se) phone: , , Course secretary: Jenny Björkegård, jenny.bjorkegard@fek.uu.se. Phone: