Klaasjan Visscher, J. Irene and A. Visscher‐Voerman
The purpose of this paper is to map the variety in organizational design approaches, to clarify their differences, and to find out what constitutes good designing in practice.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to map the variety in organizational design approaches, to clarify their differences, and to find out what constitutes good designing in practice.
Design/methodology/approach
A series of in‐depth interviews with experienced, high‐reputation consultants is used to reconstruct organizational design practice.
Findings
The paper presents a typology with three organizational design approaches, stemming from different theoretical traditions. The paper demonstrates that the three approaches comprise both traditional design activities – analysis, design, implementation, and evaluation – experimental activities, and political activities, but that the emphasis, elaboration, rationale and order of these activities are very different for each approach.
Research limitations/implications
The study provides a framework for further research on the contextualization of design processes, investigating which design approaches work under which conditions.
Practical implications
Practitioners can use the results of this study to clarify, improve and enrich their own approach of organizational designing.
Originality/value
Management literature contains many models of organization design processes, but empirical studies of these processes are rare, and not yet existing in the context of management consulting. The paper fills some of the gaps.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this article is to assess whether the effort of consulting firms and branch organizations to establish a shared and standardized methodology as a means to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to assess whether the effort of consulting firms and branch organizations to establish a shared and standardized methodology as a means to professionalize consulting and as a standard for training is possible and sensible.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was conducted among Dutch management consultants, which explored their ways of working and their ways of learning.
Findings
The study shows that efforts to develop a shared and standardized phase‐model methodology do not seem to be effective. Instead of following phase‐models, consultants appear to be improvising bricoleurs, tailoring their ways of working to specific situations, and using broad, heterogeneous and partly implicit repertoires, which are built through mainly through action‐learning. This requires another kind of methodology and another kind of training.
Research limitations/implications
The article gives a general direction for the development of a consulting methodology and the education of consultants. Further research on consulting practices and repertoires is necessary to explore this direction.
Practical implications
The paper concludes that the value of phase‐models as a standard is limited. Therefore, branch organizations, consulting firms and corporate universities should not focus their professionalization and training activities on these standardized methods.
Originality/value
Little work has been done yet on the relation between professionalization, methods, and training in management consulting, and no earlier publication has studied this topic quantitatively.
Details
Keywords
Christer Karlsson and Chris Voss
In 2009, the European Operations Management Association (EurOMA) celebrates its 15th anniversary and its precursor, the UK OMA, its 25th anniversary. The purpose of this paper is…
Abstract
Purpose
In 2009, the European Operations Management Association (EurOMA) celebrates its 15th anniversary and its precursor, the UK OMA, its 25th anniversary. The purpose of this paper is to review the origins and foundations of today's EurOMA and how it has progressed to being a vibrant and successful organisation.
Design/methodology/approach
The review draws on archived documents, especially newsletters and board minutes, as well as memories of all of those involved.
Findings
The review shows an important evolution from two groups of like minded individuals, through building annual conferences and brings these together as one. It then shows how it has evolved both through formalisation of its activities, building international links and, most importantly, developing a portfolio of activities to develop and support young researchers.
Research limitations/implications
Where records are not available, the paper draws on individual memories of events from a long time ago.
Originality/value
As well as providing an invaluable record, it can provide a model for the development of similar organisations.