Dimensions of Consultancy: Case Study Based Critiques Analysis

This assignment presents a case study based critique covering the dimensions of consultancy, focusing on two cases: hiring consultants in public administration and for municipal procurement. It explores the shift from developing in-house talent pools to hiring ready-made talent through co...Read More

Running Head: CASE STUDY BASED CRITIQUES COVERING THE DIMENSIONS OF CONSULTANCY
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Running Head: CASE STUDY BASED CRITIQUES COVERING THE DIMENSIONS OF CONSULTANCY
Introduction
At the turn of the previous century, big machines were playing a major role in the process of
producing the goods. Most of the big machines were cent-percent efficient in their task this is
why experienced workforce was an asset for any company because the experience was
equivalent to the efficiency. It was also the time when HR departments of various big
organizations were busy in cultivating and retaining the employees (Arrowsmith, 2012). They
were a treasure for the company and monikers like “trained and talent” pool. The fourth
industrial revolution has changed it all, now the concept of talent pool has changed, instead of
developing a talent pool now companies are hiring direct pre-developed or readymade talent
pools. The process of hiring these readymade talent pools is known as consultancy. Under the
current assignment we are discussing two such cases, the first case is the case of hiring
consultants in the sector of public administration and the other case is of hiring consultants for
the procurement of municipal department where they undertake long term development works
(Brodkin,2012). The idea behind the selection of two cases is to check the variance of the
selection criteria while hiring consultancy for the diverse nature of the services or the industries.
Outsourcing is becoming a progressive option for the industries of the future
Chris Findlay from Salford City council, in his case study ", Hired Help" tracked down the
growth of the outsourcing industry in the area of Salford. He elaborated about its positive and
negative impacts of outsourcing on all the possible levels. For instance, the absence of a
dedicated talent pool can bring gaps in the performance of the systems. He presented the

Running Head: CASE STUDY BASED CRITIQUES COVERING THE DIMENSIONS OF CONSULTANCY
example of the development of 400 council staff members as the “team of the consultants”
undertaking the responsibility of the “built environment functions” and” transport
infrastructure”. The Salford city council went for many joint ventures with specialized agencies
with an intention to convert their consultants as outsourcing agents for planning and
development functions of the new infrastructure facilities in the area (Carlile,2012).
This mission became successful when the same team becomes a specialist in the job of erecting a
project and leaving it for the local authorities to manage. Chris commissioned this unit in the
year 2005, in the year 2008 the same consultancy unit started implementing some of the
techniques for the “day to day planning tasks” for the implementation of new operations. On a
critical note, we can term it as the changing face of the civil administration. It also signifies that
the old concept of the management and administration are changing and the day is not far ahead
when civic authorities will also start hiring job-ready employees on the basis of a job contract
rather than permanent employment (Javernick,2012).
The highlighting point of this outsourcing process was the fact that it removed some of the
bureaucratic hurdles that were present in the past. The present case study and many such case
studies prompted many writers to come up with the conclusion that the process of the
outsourcing brings in a professional touch at an early stage and thus it helps in maintaining a
working culture promoting better working ethics. When they repeated the same process for the
neighboring Essex County in the year of 2009, the authorities discovered that outsourcing for the
purpose of planning and installing public services has the potential to save public money.
In the business terminology, we can also give it the name of the "replication of the existing
business model (Day, 1992) .” While looking at this process from an objective point of view we

Running Head: CASE STUDY BASED CRITIQUES COVERING THE DIMENSIONS OF CONSULTANCY
can define it from two points of views, the first point of view says that outsourcing can be a great
option when someone is planning to replicate a technology-based, tried and tested model for
another location or the social periphery. The outsourcing at the stage of the planning or the
hiring of the consultants can ease out the process of administration a big deal. The case of the
consultancy team developed by Salford council also allows us to explore another big challenge
that most of the civic authorities or the public service based authorities face. This challenge is
associated with the evolution of the model in accordance with the changing needs of any given
system. Various case studies presented by Chris Findlay also tell us a lot about this evolution of
the models in the terms of the planning and implementation for a different set of people and
places.
Many experts like Richard Atkins believe that hiring a team of consultants or outsourcing is a
fruitful exercise with big projects only. The element of the cost-effectiveness is dependent on the
size of the project. Academic institutions like Royal Town Planning Institute advocates a
different kind of culture, according to them it is the planning division of the operations should
remain stationary. The team of expert consultants can make it an expensive affair for the project
in the long run. Another issue is related to the introduction of the development functions during
various stages of the project. Sometimes the lethargic pace of the bureaucracy or the local
elements associated with the model has this power to abrupt the functioning of the project. The
role of a consultant firm can become difficult because the funds related to the projects are
decreasing with a passage of time (Feldman, 2011).
The margin of the trial and the error is decreasing for these consultants; Stanford council has
come up with an example which is easing out the processes and with the help of the planning.
However, with a passage of the time, these teams are setting high standards of cost-cutting and

Running Head: CASE STUDY BASED CRITIQUES COVERING THE DIMENSIONS OF CONSULTANCY
proper execution with great efficiency (Hartmann, 2010). It is expected that the practice of hiring
specialized consultant teams for infrastructure projects is becoming common among the other
civic authorities in the area. On an academic level, it can open scope for new studies. For
instance, in the current case, the recommendations of RTPI is crucial, their recommendation of
constituting a stationary or permanent planning team can change the culture associated with it
(Johansson,2012).
Municipal Country Procurement the new era of possibilities
Researchers Jose¢n Sporrong and Anna Kadefors explored three different areas of the
management related practices of a municipal corporation. These three areas are the area of "Civic
administration", "planning and the selection of the right technology" and cost-effectiveness or
the purchase (Leger,2013). They were trying to find out an answer to the question related to the
procurement areas where a municipal corporation can improve the processes by taking the
services of an expert team or the consultants, on the first thought it seems that consultants of the
experts are necessary for the selection of the right technology. However, the findings of this
research introduce us to certain other areas of the administration where the hiring of the
consultants can make a difference and address some problems. This research also addresses the
problems that an existing procurement department may face after the inclusion of the consultants
(Levitt,2012).
Civic administration or a municipal corporation shares the responsibility of maintaining a
sustainable system for any given set of services. On most of the occasions, they plan for long
term projects. They need the services of the consultants in order to keep a check on the changing
environments at the frontier of the work and changing needs of the city or the town where they

Running Head: CASE STUDY BASED CRITIQUES COVERING THE DIMENSIONS OF CONSULTANCY
are operational (Pollittt,2012). In order to understand the key result areas, the researchers first
established a hierarchy for the procurement of various issues related to the operations
administered by the municipal corporations. They prepared semi-structured question sheets for
the respondents with an intention to find out the problematic areas and the areas that are
important.
The findings of this research give us an idea that the inclusion of consultants in the system has
this power to address some difference in the thought processes of various bodies working under
the municipal corporation. In order to set paraphernalia for their findings, they came up with the
concept of the procurement organization or the part of the organization that plays an active role
in the process of the planning, implementation and the operations. Selection Criteria based on the
past experiences, knowledge integration of new entrants with the existing culture, working
conditions and the impact of the working conditions over the professional culture are few factors
that have the potential to change the culture of procurement machinery or the procurement
organization working inside the periphery of the municipal system.
The work done by the researchers raised a poignant question when we check it from a different
point of view. The difference between administration and the management forces us to see the
things from this different perspective. Whenever we try to establish procurement machinery or
an organization in a setup working on the lines of and instructions of management then we wind
that on most of the occasions they use this term conflict very freely (Bonham,2013). The most
common conflict in the managerial operations is the role conflict. The semi-structured interviews
done by the researchers in this particular research gave an indication that the same conflict
emerges as a severe difference when we put that in a municipal setup where they follow the
norms of the administration (Volker,2011).

Running Head: CASE STUDY BASED CRITIQUES COVERING THE DIMENSIONS OF CONSULTANCY
In the case of a conflict, it is easy to choose the right principle. However, in the case of a
difference, it becomes difficult for an individual to choose the right or the wrong
(Sporrong,2011). The findings of the current research say that technical functions, procurement
functions, and working conditions plays a major role in the procurement of architectural and
engineering based services. Working conditions in a setup where managerial culture is prevailing
are slightly different, in a managerial setup the goals and objectives are fixed they are confined
to the interests of the organization, whereas in the case of a municipal system the things are
different. Here they are required to serve the people or the greater interest of the society
(Lahdenpera,2012).
The introduction of the greater interest of the society somehow adds uncertainty in the goal
because a municipal corporation cannot afford to fix strict rules related to the profit. This is why
the conflicts of the opinion become differences and it becomes difficult for an individual to make
a choice. The comparison of five Swedish Municipalities in the terms of decision making and the
fixation of the target in accordance with the sustainability goals and this is where the consultants
and technical experts can help a municipal organization to ease out the differences with the help
of a middle path (Lipsky,2010).
Conclusion
Many federal structures as administered by the constitution of many countries clearly says that
the administration should remain apolitical in nature, in order to serve its apolitical nature. This
is why most of the policies surrounding the operations in the field of public administration are
long term policies where they ensure the greater interest of the community as the main profit. In

Running Head: CASE STUDY BASED CRITIQUES COVERING THE DIMENSIONS OF CONSULTANCY
the current critique, we studied two such cases, in the first case we studied the impact of the
development of the culture of hiring consultants for the formation of infrastructure and figured
out that it can become a cost-effective option. In the second case, we studied a procurement
model where the knowledge of the consultants can be hired as a means to add sustainability to
the model ahead of the time. The culture of complete outsourcing of the administrative duties is a
practice that can become successful in the future and replace various practices that are prevailing
in the existing working culture of the civil administrative services.

Running Head: CASE STUDY BASED CRITIQUES COVERING THE DIMENSIONS OF CONSULTANCY
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