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ARGUMENTA OECONOMICA No 2 (1)2001 PL ISSN 1233-5835

Małgorzata Czura*

INDEPENDENT CONSULTING AND THE NEEDS

OF POLISH ENTERPRISES

T h is a rticle regards independent c o n su ltin g for com panies. Its aim is to present the role o f in d ep e n d en t consulting in aiding the m an ag in g o f Polish c o m p an ies. T h e basis o f the a u th o r’s c o n sid era tio n has been provided by selected results o f the research w hich she conducted h erself d uring 1997-98 and dealing w ith th e role and place o f in d ep e n d en t consulting in the m anagem ent o f Polish com panies. T h e article presents the fo llo w in g issues in order o f th eir a p p earan ce and description on th e co n d u cted research and b rie f characterization o f the co m p an ies u n d er research; m otives fo r employing in d ep e n d en t consultants; subject o f co n su ltin g , identifying the role p layed by the independent co n su lta n ts; evaluation o f results o btained by independent consultancies; d em an d for consulting serv ices.

IN T R O D U C T IO N

T he need to obtain independent advice is as old as the world itself, and is expressed not only by individuals but also by various organizations, and has becom e nowadays more pronounced - and the institution of an independent consultant is gaining im portance.

A t present, independent consulting constitutes a secto r o f the economy in which the biggest operators equal such representatives of other sectors regarding their turnover and num ber of employees. T his sector shows a yearly grow th rate of 20%, new consulting companies are being established and grow ing num bers of consultants register their activities (in Europe itself their num ber has grown from 80,000 in 1980 to 120,000 in 2000), and the sector is achieving a growing turnover (the turnover of consulting companies worldwide has grow n from $9 billion in 1984 to $31.5 billion in 1994; Barlik 1996, C hroscicki 1997; M anagem ent in the World 1996). O n one hand it docum ents the high levels of supply o f consulting services, and on the other hand, it reflects the growing dem and fo r such services. A nd it is the need for independent advice which results in such enorm ous interest in consulting services.

T here are a variety of reasons behind such a strong interest: problems which cannot be solved without help from elsewhere, the n eed to have one’s ideas

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approved, the breaking down o f the risk barrier in starting new activities, the search fo r new directions in developm ent. In all these, there is a need for assistance from outside, from som eone not involved in the day-to-day affairs of the com pany, from someone w ith m ore knowledge and experience.

Independent consulting in Poland went through a period of rapid developm ent when our country started on the road o f system transformation. In order to be able to stand up to the demands of a m arket economy, to create conditions o f retaining their com petitive position in the market, economic subjects had to undergo a concentrated in time process o f restructuring and renewal. T he awareness of our limited ability to con d u ct such a change independently and the pressure o f tim e led to the situation in which companies looked m ostly outside for assistance. The rush for consulting services among Polish com panies results from the problems they ex perience (crisis, failures, errors) and the need for renewed and new development directions. This process of absorbing advice constitutes the main, but not the sole, motor for developm ent o f independent consulting in Poland. O ne can expect that during the next few years the dom inant role in shaping independent consulting in Poland w ill still be played by com panies and their needs; however, the needs of com panies change and they cau se changes in consulting services.

The literature of the subject pays more and more attention to the issues of external consulting (Biswas, T w itchell 1999, C hroscicki 1997, Fuller 1999, Kubr 1993, 1996, M argerison 1995, Markham 1997, S chaffer 1997, Stecki 1997, S zeloch 1992). The w ealth o f specialist literature forces reflection, and the intensity of these trends suggest the need for an analysis of the experience of the part o f users of consulting services. The aim o f this article is to present the role o f independent consulting in aiding the m anagem ent of Polish com panies. The author’s considerations are based on the research in the period of 1997-98 regarding the role o f independent consulting in managing a Polish com pany. T he author presented detailed findings o f this research in her doctoral thesis: “The role of independent consulting in com pany management” .

The follow ing aspects are presented in this article: a description of the conducted research and a characteristics of the com panies involved, the motives fo r employing independent advisors, the subject o f their consultancy, identifying the roles played by independent advisors, evaluation of the results obtained from independent advice, and the need for advisory services.

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1. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND

ENTERPRISES’ DESCRIPTION

The research was based on a form of questionnaire, directed to enterprises (m edium and large), and the subject o f research in each case was independent advice obtained by the com panies in 1989-1998.

The research was conducted in 1997 and 1998. 485 questionnaires were sent out, and 46 were subsequently returned (a return o f 9.5% ), therefore 46 enterprises were examined and the analysis concerned 128 examples of advisory service.

In this sam ple there were 31 public limited com panies (67.4% of the enterprises examined), 11 lim ited liability companies (24% ), two companies own the S tate Treasury (JSSP 4.3% ), one state-owned com pany and one state- owned com pany operated in fo rm o f a managerial contract (4.3%). The majority o f examined enterprises (32), were originally state-ow ned. As to the object o f their activities, 87% o f them were m anufacturing companies, the rem aining 13% were made up o f service and trade enterprises.

The exam ined sample of enterprises came from electo-technical and electric industries (8), transport (5), the m etal industry (5), the chem ical industry (5), the m achine industry (4), building m aterials (3), and the food industry (3).

The m ajority of the exam ined enterprises were large, em ploying over 250 people (74% o f the companies tested), and m edium -sized, with employees num bering between 51 to 250 (26% ).

2. MOTIVES FOR EMPLOYING CONSULTANTS

The m ost frequently given reason for em ploying consultants was the shortage o f own specialists (F igure 1). It was not, how ever, a dominating reason, m entioned in only 51% o f the analysed consulting services. Among other reasons were: the need fo r som eone experienced (38% ), the need for additional information (20% ), request from ‘above’ (i.e. ministry, banks) (12%), and their own specialists w ere too busy (9%).

It can be said on the basis o f the conducted research that the decision to employ the services of consultants resulted, in the m ajority o f cases, from the internal needs of the com pany (lack of own specialists, the need for an independent opinion, the need for som eone experienced). O nly in 12% of cases it was forced by the M inistry o f Privatization, banks, certifying institutions or supervisory bodies.

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Motives for em p loyin g an independent ad visor*

lack o f own specialists

need for independent opinion

need for someone with experience

need for additional information

pressure from 'above' (ministry, banks)

own specialists too busy

0%

10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% F ig u re ]. M otives for em ploying an independent advisor (given th e possibility o f indicating more than o n e answer).

S ource: o w n research Czura 2000.

3. THE SUBJECT OF CONSULTING SERVICES

There were no dominating specific areas of advisory services (see table 1). The biggest part in the analysed group o f services dealt with the following subjects: assessment of financial position (15% of analysed services), quality control (15%), analysis o f restructuring projects (14%), which points to the highest degree of demand in such areas. Next (according to size of share), w ere advisory services in the areas of: law (8% of services), strategy (6%), marketing (6%), change of form of ownership (6%), creating and managing integrated information systems (5%), controlling (4%), management o f human resources (4%), advice on economic co­ operation (3%), tax advice (3%), lean management (2%), valuation of fixed assets (2%), technical expertise (2%), consulting regarding operational and logistic solutions (1 %), evaluation of an organization (1 %).

It can also be said in view o f the conducted research that in general, as has already been mentioned, the biggest recipient of advisory services was made up by enterprises from the electrochemical and electrical sector. These enterprises used 21 kinds o f consulting services in such areas as: assessment of financial position (5), quality control (4), analysis o f restructuring projects (2), marketing (2). Companies from that sector, characterized by strong competitiveness and the need for and necessity of introducing innovative activities, are forced to represent an ‘adequate’ level of development and present a ‘suitable’ offer.

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Table 1

The structure of analysed services according to the areas of consulting in the period 1989-93 and 1994-98

A reas o f co n su ltin g 1989- 1994- 1989- % 93 98 98 89-98 assessm ent o f financial position (financial no. of services 8 11 19 IS analysis, auditing) % 4 0 60 100 quality steering (training and implementing systems no. of services 7 12 19 15 guaranteeing quality compatible with ISO standards % 4 0 60 100 analysis o f restructuring projects (repair program s, no. of services 4 14 18 14

business plans) % 20 80 100

legal advice (current legal services, agreem ents no. of services 4 7 11 8 with banks, liquidation and bankruptcy) % 40 60 100 strategy (assistance in defining missions, long-term no. of services 1 7 X 6 objectives, allocation of assets, SWOT analysis) % 10 90 100 marketing (market research. prom otional no. of services 1 7 X 6 cam paigns, marketing strategies) % 10 90 100 reprivatization (choice of privatization route, no. of services 4 4 X 6 preparing o f documentation, appraisal o f value of % 50 50 100 com pany, strategy of issuing shares)

creation and management o f integrated no. of services 2 5 7 5 inform ation systems % 30 70 100 Human Resources Management (preparing motivation no. of services 1 4 5 4 systems, evaluating work, recruitment of employees) % 20 80 100 controlling (for example organizing profit centres no. of services 3 2 5 4 and cost centres) % 60 40 100 consulting regarding economic co-operation (finding no. of services 1 3 4 3 collaborations, intermediary role in foreign trade) % 25 75 100 tax consulting no. of services 0 4 4 3

% 0 100 100

lean m anagem ent, lean production (including no. of services 2 1 3 2 autonom ization of internal units) % 70 30 100 appraisal o f fixed assets no. of services 0 3 3 2

% 0 100 100

technical advice (implementing new technologies. no. of services 1 1 2 2 environm ental protection) % 50 50 100 consulting in operational and logistic solutions no. of services 0 1 1 1

% 0 100 100

m anagem ent through objectives no. of services 0 1 / 1

% 0 100 100

assessm ent o f organization (im proving no. of services 0 1 / 1 organizational structures, organizing work) % 100 100 inclusive service: marketing, strategy, H RM , no. of services 0 1 1 1 logistics, assessm ent of organization. % 0 100 100

total no. of services 128 100

% 100

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H ence probably there is such a large participation o f com panies from that sector in the researched sam ple and use of auxiliary services discussed previously (quality control, assessm ent of financial condition, analysis of restructuring projects, marketing).

The research findings suggest also that a great dem and for external consulting services also occurred am ong enterprises from the metallurgical sector (15 services). In this group the largest share o f services came from the follow ing areas: analysis of restructuring projects (3), quality control (3), as well as m anagem ent of human resources (2) and lean m anagem ent (2). In the group representing transport services (14 services), the biggest share of advisory services was connected w ith the areas of: quality steering (4), creating and m anaging integrated systems o f information (2) and controlling (2). This sector resem bles the sector o f the electro-technical and electrical industry (strong com petitiveness, the need for constant innovation). The companies operating in this sector face challenges and demands sim ilar to those of the latter secto r (especially high quality, efficient flow o f information, cost m anagem ent, etc).

4. IDENTIFICATION OF ROLES FULFILLED BY EXTERNAL CONSULTANTS

W hat w e re the roles of the co n su ltan ts em ployed, i.e. what was their attitude to w ard s the tasks, e ith e r consistent with the ex pectations of the com panies in question or not? T h e answ ers given d e p e n d e d in my opinion on the k in d o f services p ro v id ed (subject of c o n su ltin g ) and on the re q u irem en ts addressed to the co n su ltan ts, regarding th e ir work and its results.

T he p artic ip a n ts frequently in d icated various ro le s fulfilled by the co n su ltan ts in the whole advisory process. The m ost freq u en tly m entioned (table 2) w as the role of ‘a tem p o rary specialist o ffe rin g his services’. Such a ro le w as indicated in 55% o f the exam ined se rv ic e s. Next were the roles of: ‘s u p p lie r of creative and unconventional id e a s ’ (24% of services), ‘a train d riv e r who m obilizes the m anagem ent’ (2 2 % ), and ‘a perform er who a c tiv e ly im proves the re su lts o f the custom er’s a c tiv itie s ’ (17%). The most in fre q u e n tly m entioned w ere: ‘a scapegoat im p le m e n tin g unpleasant decisions (5% o f services), ‘fa th e r co nfessor who has th e confidence of the cu sto m er’ (2% ), superfluous in tru d e r (2%), and ‘j e s t e r who defies al taboos and slay s sacred cow s (1 % ).

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Table 2

Roles played by an independent consultant

Description N um ber o f services rendered %

tem porary specialist offering services 71 55

supplier o f creative and unconventional ideas 31 24

train d riv er mobilizing the management 28 22

perform er, energetically improving cu sto m e r’s needs 22 17

scapegoat implementing unpopular decisions 6 5

father confessor discussing in confidence with the customer 3 2

superfluous intruder 2 2

jeste r rejecting taboos and slaying sacred cow s 1 1

* there was a possibility of naming more than one role.

Source: own results based on the Wegenstein classification (Szeloch, p.38) (Czura 2000).

5. EVALUATING THE RESULTS OF INDEPENDENT CONSULTING BASED ON THE OPIN IO N OF THE RESPONDENTS

T he fin a l analysis of resu lts p rovided by the c o n d u c te d research allow s arriving at o f the follow ing c o n c lu sio n s regarding the ev a lu a tio n of effects of ex tern al consulting.

F irstly , it should be noted th a t there was a la rg e group of clients satisfied w ith the work o f c o n su lta n ts. ‘S a tisfa c tio n ’ m eant, among other things, a lack of criticism re g a rd in g co -operation w ith a consultant, sig n ifican t benefits resulting fro m th is co-operation, an d not ju st a will but a fact o f further co-operation w ith the c o n su lta n t. Such interpreted satisfac tio n from co-operation w ith an external c o n su lta n t was expressed in 113 ca se s (88% of services re se a rc h e d ). The sa tisfa c tio n was expressed in form o f b en e fits from co -o p era tio n with the c o n su lta n t. Am ong the most freq u en tly m entioned ben efits are: im provem ent in effectiveness o f o peration (22% of services), an d increasing q u a lific a tio n s of em ployees (23% ).

A p a rt fro m the m entioned b e n e fits, further e x p re ssio n s of satisfaction o f c o -o p e ra tio n with a c o n su lta n t can be (but d o e s n ’t h av e to be) also the fact th at it brought further c o n ta c ts. Such was th e c a se in 89 services (ap p ro x im a tely 80% of serv ic es in the group o f 112 w hich expressed satisfac tio n from co-operation w ith a consultant).

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Further confirmation of satisfaction can also be such characteristics pointed out by the questioned participants which they expresses high professionalism of consultants. Among the most frequently mentioned features (Figure 2) which contributed to his/her positive im age were: competence (80% of answers) and experience (60% ). Also: independence objectivity (40% ), professional honesty (30%), and ability to handle a client (20%). The latter characteristic is very important, because affects to a large degree the success o f the whole consulting process. It was, however, the least frequently mentioned. H ence the conclusion that this particular skill of a consultant in the majority o f cases did not exist or did not m eet expectations of those using consulting services.

Figure 2. Features of a consultant deciding on his/her positive image (given the possibility of indicating more than one answer).

Source: own research Czura 2000.

D issatisfaction with co-operation with an independent advisor was noted in 15 services (12% of researched services). The most frequently mentioned reasons for dissatisfaction included: setting unrealistic objectives for the company, lack of understanding during co-operation, professional errors and ‘enforcing’ co-operation.

The above mentioned reasons fo r dissatisfaction w ith co-operation were named by the enterprises subject to research. Also analysis of information gathered during research enabled finding other reasons fo r this discontent. One of these could be the prevailing kind o f consulting. In as many as 60% of services in the ‘dissatisfied’ group, the subject was expert consulting, usually excluding co-operation with the consultant on an equal standing. Other reasons could be connected with the fact that frequently there was no ‘link’ connecting the consultant with the company, such as a person acting as a liaison (as many as 70% of services in this group).

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Table 3

Demand for consulting services

Description Quantity

controlling 12

creation an d management of integrated inform ation systems 8

m arketing 7

analysis o f restructuring projects 6

advice regarding economic co-operation 6

technical consulting (environmental protection implementing new technologies)

6

im plem enting quality control systems 5

hum an resources management (work assessm ent, preparing motivation system s)

5

appraisal o f financial condition 5

im proving organizational structures 5

consulting on capital investment 4

legal advice 3

tax consulting 3

general consulting (in all areas of activities) 2

m anagem ent through objectives 1

preparing com pany strategy 1

personnel training 1

im plem enting new concepts of m anagem ent 1

Source: Own research (Czura 2000).

As to the way of finding a consultant, in four cases it w as a regular ‘tested’ consultant w ho this time how ever ‘did not deliver’, in tw o cases a specific consultant w as nominated from ‘above’ and in five cases there was a ‘m isplaced’ recommendation, in three cases a tender and in one case the consultant w as found through advertising. C onsidering the motives of the decision behind co-operating with an external consultant, in twelve cases the motive w as the lack of own specialist, in two cases th ere was a need for someone w ith relevant experience, and in one case, it w as a directive from above (enforced).

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The conducted research suggests that companies are still interested in services provided by the consulting sector because 78% o f companies subject to research intend to use - at present or in the nearest future - the assistance of independent consultants. W hich advisory services are at present in greatest demand? In context of the conducted research, it could be stated that generally these are services connected with assisting management processes inside the company (table 3). The most frequently mentioned area o f consulting was controlling (including organizing cost centres and profit centres, introducing variable costs accounting). This area o f consulting was nam ed by 25% of the examined com panies (12). T he next most frequently m entioned areas of consulting are: the creation and m anagem ent of integrated information systems (8 cases), m arketing (7), analysis o f restructuring projects (6), advice regarding economic co-operation (6), hum an resources m anagem ent (work assessment, preparing motivation systems) (5), appraisal of financial condition (5), improving organizational structures (5).

CONCLUSION

At p re sen t, to solve problem s and to find new w ays o f developm ent, one needs u n iv ersa l, versatile, g en e ral and tested k n o w led g e . An additional restriction or challenge com es from the com plex and fast-changing econom ic reality . Hence the need fo r independent e x te rn a l consulting, and frequently even the need for c o n sta n t support from o u tsid e as the research conducted by the author proves.

In the light of the c o n d u c te d research, we can state that Polish enterp rises experience p roblem s w ith using ex tern al support and use external co n su ltin g in an in ten siv e way.

It is m o re difficult to co m m en t conclusively on th e m atter of the effec tiv en e ss o f consulting. It sh o u ld be noted that g e n e ra lly - in the case of the m ajo rity of the cases re se a rc h e d - it was sta te d that co-operating with an ex tern al consultant b ro u g h t the desired e ffe c ts. It was confirm ed by b en e fits resulting from c o n su ltin g activities. H o w e v e r at this point it should be said that enterprises fin d it difficult to a rtic u la te the effects of in dependent consulting and m ore p recisely with the re a liz a tio n of its scale and the re la tio n s existing am o n g them . Hence th ese effe c ts are usually presented in a very general w ay.

A c o n su lta n t appearing in a com pany for a variety o f reasons is most frequently treated as a tem p o ra ry specialist w ho o ffe rs his services.

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U sually it is connected with the m o st frequently m e n tio n e d m otive of the decision to u se the support o f e x te rn a l consultants, su c h as lack of own specialists. W e should point ou t th a t indicating su ch a role and motive occurred in th e case o f the sam e serv ic es. Hence the c o n c lu sio n that, either the c o m p a n ie s are not ‘a d d ic te d ’ to consultants, o r that they are ‘c o n d e m n e d ’ to external support. In such case, they w o u ld treat consultants rather as an opportunity to gain ad d itio n al know ledge, sk ills and stim ulate certain a c tiv itie s. This is also co n firm ed by the n e x t m ost frequently m entioned ro le s such as: su p p lie r o f ideas and d riv er. O n the other hand such a ‘te m p o ra rin e ss’ of the e x te rn a l advisor could p o in t to the treatm ent of the e x te rn a l consultant as an ‘a m b u la n c e ’, w hich is c a lle d in on sudden and c ritic a l cases. The c o n su lta n t seen in a neg ativ e w ay, that is as a superfluous interference or je s te r, w as rarely nam ed.

It sh o u ld be noted that th e respondents fre q u e n tly attributed to consultants several roles w hich in d icates the d ynam ic ch a rac te r of their role and th e diverse expectations d irec ted to the c o n su lta n t. The research suggests th a t there is a new m o tiv e in the form o f in te rn a l need, resulting in the ow n in itiativ e of using c o n su ltin g services w h ich aim at supporting the m an ag em en t processes w ith in th e com pany. T his w as reflected also in the an sw ers given to the questio n reg ard in g dem and fo r co n su ltin g .

T h e re fo re , the conducted re se a rc h ju stifie s the c o n c lu sio n that till now external co n su ltin g for e n te rp rise s was both n e c e ssa ry and brought the expected re su lts. How ever on th e o th er hand it sh o u ld be noted that the en terp rises subject to research d o not present a full understanding and conviction as to what can be e x p e c te d from c o n su lta n ts and what can be jo in tly a c h ie v ed .

T he co -o p era tio n of an e x te rn a l consultant w ith a com pany in the present P o lish conditions sh o u ld be som ething m o re than m erely suggesting and prom pting. It sh o u ld be an active c o -o p e ra tio n of both sides during th e creatin g and im p le m e n tatio n of solutions recom m ended by the co n su ltan ts. External co n su ltin g is one of the w ays o f supplying new k now ledge to a company, in fo rm a tio n and tested s o lu tio n s. At the same time, c o n su lta n ts can extend th e ir own know ledge a n d gain experience w orking w ith different clients. S u ch co-operation, th e re fo re , constitutes a m utual com p lim en tin g and e n ric h in g state of k n o w le d g e and as such should b rin g benefits to both sid e s.

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REFERENCES

Barlik, E. (\996).Tysiąc sposobów na karierą w konsultingu [Thousand Ways to Make Career in

Consulting],„Rzeczpospolita”, no. 4

Biswas, S., Twitchell, D. (1999): Management consulting: a complete guide to the industry, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York

Chrościcki, Z. (1997): Konsulting w zarządzaniu [Consulting in managementj, Poltexi, Warszawa

Czura, M. (2000): Rola doradztwa zewnętrznegow zarządzaniu przedsiębiorstwemmaszynopis pracy doktorskiej [a manuscript of the doctoral thesis: Role o f external consulting in

managing a companyJ,Akademia Ekonomiczna, Wrocław

Fuller, G.,W. (1999): Getting the most out o f your consultant: a guide to selection through

implementation, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida

Kubr, M. (1996): Management consulting: A guide to the profession, ILO, Genewa Kubr, M. (1993): How to select and use consultants. A client’s guide, ILO, Genewa

Margerison, Ch., J. (1995): Managerial consulting skills: a practical guide. Gower Publishing Company Limited, Hants, England

Markcham, C. (1997): Konsulting dla menedżerów [Consulting fo r Managers], Fundacja Rozwoju Rachunkowości w Polsce, Warszawa

Schaffer, R.H. (1997): High impact consulting; how clients and consultants can leverage rapid

results into long-term gains,Jossey-Bass Inc. Publishers, San Francisco

Szeloch, Z. (1992): Doradztwo organizacyjne. Doświadczenia zachodnioeuropejskie [Organizational Consulting. Western European Experience], Krajowe Wydawnictwo Gospodarcze, Ruda Śląska

„Zarządzanie na Świecie” (1996): Rosnący poziom usług konsultingowych [Growing Standard o f

Consulting Seivices],no. 9

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