Consultants match solutions to firms problems
Those problems usually relate to restructuring management and company business strategies, and may include technical assistance such as advising on the most appropriate computers or communications system.
Rather than look at size or revenue, the List details services and types of clients.
The industry basically started from scratch in Poland in 1989. While consultants say that firms tend to specialize in more mature markets, management consulting firms here still offer a wide range of services.
"Consulting here is a catch-all," said Howard Floyd, account director for ICC Millenium. "It's used for training, marketing, strategy and logistics."
Andersen Consulting, the largest consulting firm in the world with 30,000 employees and $3.4 billion in gross revenue last year, focuses on industry and technology.
Polish Business Society (PBS), on the other hand, based in Warsaw with about 20 consultants, specializes in financial research on companies. For example, The National Fund for the Disabled within the Labor Ministry hired PBS to survey businesses hiring disabled employees to make sure government funds were going to the right places.
PBS also advised Warsaw officials on the development of its municipal bond program that raised z*. 800,000 ($340,425) in 1993, said Marek Chlebuc, PBS president.
ACSYS Business Solutions Center has specialized in supplying computer systems for large companies, although it recently signed contracts to provide auditing services, ACSYS officials said.
ICC Millennium is perhaps the most specialized firm on the list, dealing only in communications. "Our jobs require us to negotiate with TPSA to provide infrastructure of lines where they are not," Floyd said. "We are not new technology. We do basic stuff like getting a dial tone."
With all the diversity in services provided, there are trends developing in the industry as a whole. For example, firms are playing a more active role in implementing the strategies they devise. Management consulting has been criticized in the recent past for producing a study, making recommendations and leaving a large report with the client "to gather dust on a shelf," according to a report by Gartner Group, a research organization that surveys clients of large international management consulting firms to get opinions on their performance in various sectors. The Gartner Group report found Andersen Consulting, Booz-Allen & Hamilton, and Deloitte & Touche to be strong in Eastern Europe.
Even the biggest firms worldwide are still trying for recognition and confidence in Poland. "Management consulting is still seen as a cost, not an investment," said Vicente Moreno, the general manager of Andersen Consulting in Poland "The benefits of what we provide will only be measurable in the long term."
The Business Development Manager for ACSYS Business Solutions Center, Andrzej Micha*kewicz, agreed that management consulting is still finding its place in Poland. "Polish customers are learning how to use consultants' services," he said.
"Three years ago international financial institutions like the World Bank and PHARE provided most of the funding for management consulting, but now more companies are paying on their own," Micha*kewicz said. With companies having to come up with their own money, they have more stake in investigating consulting firms before hiring one.
There are a few reasons companies choose to hire management consulting firms. It's a question of hiring outside consulting help as opposed to solving the problem with existing in-house staff. Reasons include temporary hires for short-term projects, looking at a problem with fresh eyes, and lack of expertise in house, for example in such rapidly changing areas as computers and telecommunications.
The Gartner Group cautions prospective clients to look for firms that have proven successful in projects similar to theirs. Few management consulting firms are strong in more than five of the group's 20 listed industries ranging from aerospace to utilities.
Rather than look at size or revenue, the List details services and types of clients.
The industry basically started from scratch in Poland in 1989. While consultants say that firms tend to specialize in more mature markets, management consulting firms here still offer a wide range of services.
"Consulting here is a catch-all," said Howard Floyd, account director for ICC Millenium. "It's used for training, marketing, strategy and logistics."
Andersen Consulting, the largest consulting firm in the world with 30,000 employees and $3.4 billion in gross revenue last year, focuses on industry and technology.
Polish Business Society (PBS), on the other hand, based in Warsaw with about 20 consultants, specializes in financial research on companies. For example, The National Fund for the Disabled within the Labor Ministry hired PBS to survey businesses hiring disabled employees to make sure government funds were going to the right places.
PBS also advised Warsaw officials on the development of its municipal bond program that raised z*. 800,000 ($340,425) in 1993, said Marek Chlebuc, PBS president.
ACSYS Business Solutions Center has specialized in supplying computer systems for large companies, although it recently signed contracts to provide auditing services, ACSYS officials said.
ICC Millennium is perhaps the most specialized firm on the list, dealing only in communications. "Our jobs require us to negotiate with TPSA to provide infrastructure of lines where they are not," Floyd said. "We are not new technology. We do basic stuff like getting a dial tone."
With all the diversity in services provided, there are trends developing in the industry as a whole. For example, firms are playing a more active role in implementing the strategies they devise. Management consulting has been criticized in the recent past for producing a study, making recommendations and leaving a large report with the client "to gather dust on a shelf," according to a report by Gartner Group, a research organization that surveys clients of large international management consulting firms to get opinions on their performance in various sectors. The Gartner Group report found Andersen Consulting, Booz-Allen & Hamilton, and Deloitte & Touche to be strong in Eastern Europe.
Even the biggest firms worldwide are still trying for recognition and confidence in Poland. "Management consulting is still seen as a cost, not an investment," said Vicente Moreno, the general manager of Andersen Consulting in Poland "The benefits of what we provide will only be measurable in the long term."
The Business Development Manager for ACSYS Business Solutions Center, Andrzej Micha*kewicz, agreed that management consulting is still finding its place in Poland. "Polish customers are learning how to use consultants' services," he said.
"Three years ago international financial institutions like the World Bank and PHARE provided most of the funding for management consulting, but now more companies are paying on their own," Micha*kewicz said. With companies having to come up with their own money, they have more stake in investigating consulting firms before hiring one.
There are a few reasons companies choose to hire management consulting firms. It's a question of hiring outside consulting help as opposed to solving the problem with existing in-house staff. Reasons include temporary hires for short-term projects, looking at a problem with fresh eyes, and lack of expertise in house, for example in such rapidly changing areas as computers and telecommunications.
The Gartner Group cautions prospective clients to look for firms that have proven successful in projects similar to theirs. Few management consulting firms are strong in more than five of the group's 20 listed industries ranging from aerospace to utilities.
