Wanted: A New Consulting Business Model consulting firm that focuses on advising companies on strategy and organizational issues. He is looking for a fresh, outside perspective on his company because he
Activity
John Sutherland needs your help. John is the founder and CEO of a midsized global
believes that his business needs to be re-envisioned.
John built his company over two decades and now employs 210 people worldwide.
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John, 55
their strategic management, and realign their organizations. He competes directly
Founder & CEO
with McKinsey, Bain, and Roland Berger. One problem he faces is being smaller than
Strategy Consultancy
his top-tier competitors, yet much larger than the typical niche-focused strategy con-
210 employees
sultancy. But John is not preoccupied with this issue, since his company is still doing reasonably well. What really troubles him is the strategic consulting profession’s poor reputation in the marketplace, and growing client perception that the prevalent hourly and project-based billing model is outdated. Though his own firm’s reputation remains good, he has heard from several clients that they think consultants overcharge, underdeliver, and show little genuine commitment to client projects.
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outline big issues
generate possibilities
prototype the business model
believes his industry employs some of the brightest
• Think of a typical strategyconsulting client.
• Take another close look at the five customer issues you selected.
• Choose the three most diverse ideas of the five generated.
minds in business. After much thought, he has con-
• Pick the Customer Segment and industry of your choice.
• Generate as many consulting business model ideas as you can.
• Describe five of the biggest issues related to strategy consulting. Refer to the Empathy Map (see p. 131).
• Pick the five ideas you think are best (not necessarily the most realistic). Refer to the Ideation Process (see p. 134).
• Develop three conceptual business model prototypes by sketching the elements of each idea on different Business Model Canvases. • Annotate the pros and cons of each prototype.
Such comments alarm John, because he
cluded that this reputation results from an outdated business model, and he now wants to transform his own company’s approach. John aims to make hourly and project billing a thing of the past, but isn’t quite sure how to do so. Help John by providing him with some fresh perspectives on innovative consulting business models.
design
The focus of his consultancy is helping executives develop effective strategies, improve