Management Consulting and Strategic Change

Description

This course combines conceptual analysis with practical engagement. You'll work with contemporary themes that shape how consulting and strategic change are understood—such as the dynamics between consultants and clients, ethical tensions, resistance to change, and the diffusion of popular management models. These themes are explored through academic literature, case-based discussions, and interactive assignments. Central to the course is a team-based project in which you'll investigate a real consulting case, conduct an interview, and analyze how change is enacted in practice. Throughout the course, you will engage with both scholarly perspectives and the lived realities of consultants, offering a grounded and critical understanding of the field. Course Objective: The goal of this course is to help you critically understand the role of management consultants in processes of strategic change. In a world where change is constant—from digital disruption and economic shifts to climate urgency—organizations must continuously adapt, often with the help of consultants. Rather than training you to become a consultant, the course invites you to examine the field itself: how consulting is practiced, how it is framed in academic debates, and how it is questioned and defended. You will develop the analytical and reflective skills needed to evaluate different viewpoints, connect theory with real-world cases, and position yourself in ongoing conversations about strategy and change. These skills are valuable for academic work, including your thesis, as well as for any future advisory role. The course focuses on the following learning goals: Bridging theory and practice (knowledge): Develop your own position and argumentation in relation to the topics discussed during the course. Critically reflect on the key underlying assumptions and arguments developed in the literature and position them in relation with each other. Bridging theory and practice (application): Critically examine the connection between the themes discussed in the lectures and how these appear in real-life change and consulting projects. Social skills: Contact, interview and engage with consultants in the field. Organize your work in a team Assessment Information: Individual assignments and group assignments and exam.