Consultants and Knowledge Management

i Viewing the consulting process through a knowledge management lens shows explanatory promise. The discussion following seeks to instantiate various knowledge-related concepts through reference to the consulting ERP-support practice. First, the global character, dynamism and importance of the consulting sector are demonstrated. Hoeksema and de Jong (2001) observe that " In the field of consulting there is a tendency towards bigger international assignments where information technology plays an important role. This combination of an increase in scale and the need for e-business solutions worldwide makes the issue of international coordination particularly important " (p.151). A major challenge Hoeksema and de Jong (2001) identify from their case study of PricewaterhouseCoopers (prior to their merger with IBM) is how to achieve the required level of international coordination of the efforts of 160,000 people worldwide without compromising responsiveness on a local scale in over 150 countries. Human resource management in general and management development in particular play an important role. " A major investment is made in the development of the consultants, despite the acknowledged fact that most will leave the organization after only a few years. PwC uses a global framework of core competences as the key instrument in its development plan and every consultant is profiled according to it " (Hoeksema & de Jong, 2001:145). " Investing in [management development] policy is not just a means to achieve international coordination, but also part of the psychological contract with the talented individuals " (p.151). 'PwC aims to be an Employer of Choice. The only way to achieve this aim is to be able to recruit, develop and retain top talent. This requires that such talented individuals be provided with development opportunities that amount to something and with the resources to shape their own careers. For this purpose, the PwC Global Capability Framework (GCF) was developed as a key instrument. On the one hand, the objective of GCF is to achieve international coordination by means of a (standardized) instrument to describe the competencies (knowledge, skills and experience) of the consultants. On the other hand, GCF aims to provide a tool with which individual persons can shape and direct their careers. Clients can be served internationally by the appropriate consultants, while the consultants do exactly the kind of work that fits in with their preferred career strategy and development path, in line, as described above, with their personal ambitions " (p.152). IBM will now …