Tech-Driven Innovation in HR and Management Consulting: How to Serve Consulting Customers Better

📌 Key facts

• Mission: Explore tech-driven innovation in management and HR consulting to uncover pain points and unlock opportunities for enhanced effectiveness and value creation. By conducting extensive research, we aim to shed light on the challenges faced by firms seeking consulting services, particularly in the areas of management and human resources. Through this investigation, we strive to identify innovative approaches and solutions that leverage technology to address pain points and drive sustainable value for clients and consultants alike.

• When: Start anytime. Applications are open!
• How to apply: Send us an e-mail (at the end of this page) with your CV, a grade report, a short motivation and your suggested approach (proposed plan and questions, potential data, and methods, possible outcomes with a tentative outline).

Contents

• 💡 Background
• 🦾Who We Are
• 🎯 Goals
• 🧠 Topics of Interest
• 🎓 Profile
• 📚 Further Reading
• 📄 Requirements to any Work
• 📬 How to Apply

💡 Background

Management and HR consulting play pivotal roles in helping organizations navigate complex business landscapes and optimize their human capital. However, with the rapid advancement of technology, it is crucial to understand how tech-driven innovation can transform these consulting practices. Despite the significance of this industry, limited empirical research has been conducted to comprehensively examine the pain points and explore innovative solutions. This research project fills this gap by focusing specifically on tech-driven innovation in management and HR consulting.

🦾Who We Are

The Chair for Strategy and Organization is focused on research with impact. This means we do not want to repeat old ideas and base our research solely on the research people did 10 years ago. Instead, we currently research topics that will shape the future. Topics such as Agile Organizations and Digital Disruption, Blockchain Technology, Creativity and Innovation, Digital Transformation and Business Model Innovation, Diversity, Education: Education Technology and Performance Management, HRTech, Leadership, and Teams.. We are always early in noticing trends, technologies, strategies, and organizations that shape the future, which has its ups and downs.

This thesis will be co-supervised Prof. Dr. Isabell Welpe and Bernd Storm.

🎯 Goals

This thesis aims to provide a comprehensive exploration of possible tech-driven solutions for the pain points faced by HR and management consultants and identify opportunities for innovation within the industry. By conducting qualitative interviews and evaluating the experiences of consultants, the research will shed light on the challenges they encounter and investigate potential innovative approaches to enhance their effectiveness and client value.

Upon completing this thesis, the student will have produced significant knowledge in three critical areas:

A) Gain a comprehensive understanding of the biggest inefficiencies and pain points experienced by clients in management and HR consulting engagements. Conduct in-depth research and analysis to uncover the specific challenges and obstacles organizations face when seeking consulting services, enabling consultants to develop targeted strategies and solutions.

B) Identify consulting tasks and processes in management and HR consulting that have the potential to be transformed through technology-driven innovation. Explore current consulting practices and emerging technological advancements to uncover areas where automation can streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and improve client outcomes.

C) Evaluate the potential benefits of adopting a Business-to-Business (B2B) Software as a Service (SaaS) model in management and HR consulting. Examine the unique characteristics of the consulting industry to identify specific tasks and processes that can be effectively delivered through a B2B SaaS model, considering factors such as scalability, cost-effectiveness, and improved client collaboration.

D) Develop insights and recommendations to address the identified pain points and inefficiencies in management and HR consulting through tech-driven innovation, automation, and big data solutions. Provide actionable strategies to optimize workflows, enhance efficiency, and deliver enhanced value to clients using emerging technologies, automation, and B2B SaaS models.

🧠 Topics of Interest

• Pain points and challenges faced by clients in management and HR consulting engagements.
• Analyze the existing inefficiencies in HR consulting processes within large corporations and propose improvements through the use of technology and automation.
• Investigate the potential of emerging technologies, such as AI and big data, to drive innovation and transformation in HR consulting practices within big corporations.
• Evaluate the feasibility and benefits of automation in various HR consulting tasks and processes, aiming to increase efficiency and effectiveness in big corporations.
• Identifying consulting tasks and processes in management and HR consulting that can be transformed through technology-driven innovation.
• Potential benefits of adopting a Business-to-Business (B2B) Software as a Service (SaaS) model in management and HR consulting.
• Exploring tech-driven solutions, automation, and big data for addressing pain points and inefficiencies in management and HR consulting.
• Enhancing effectiveness and client value through innovative approaches and emerging technologies in consulting engagements.

🎓 Profile

• Proficiency in conducting interviews
• Enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master's program related to Business Administration/Management/Consulting
• Fluent in English (additional proficiency in German is a plus)
• Reliable, self-driven, and motivated
• Demonstrated interest in management consulting and innovation
• Passion for learning and conducting impactful research

📚 Further Reading

1. Marler, J. H., & Boudreau, J. W. (2017). An evidence-based review of HR Analytics. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 28(1), 3-26.
2. Davenport, T. H., Harris, J. G., & Shapiro, J. (2010). Competing on talent analytics. Harvard Business Review, 88(10), 52-58.
3. Stone, D. L., Deadrick, D. L., Lukaszewski, K. M., & Johnson, R. (2015). The influence of technology on the future of human resource management. Human Resource Management Review, 25(2), 216-231.
4. Bondarouk, T., & Brewster, C. (2016). Conceptualising the future of HRM and technology research. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 27(21), 2652-2671.
5. Davenport, T. H., Harris, J. G., & Morison, R. (2010). Analytics at work: Smarter decisions, better results. Harvard Business Press.
6. Boudreau, J. W., & Ramstad, P. M. (2007). Beyond HR: The new science of human capital. Harvard Business Press.
7. Fitz-enz, J. (2010). The New HR Analytics: Predicting the Economic Value of Your Company's Human Capital Investments. AMACOM.
8. Rasmussen, T., & Ulrich, D. (2015). HR - From Now to Next: Reimagining the Workplace of Tomorrow. SHRM.
9. Bersin, J. (2019). HR Technology Market 2019: Disruption Ahead. Bersin by Deloitte.

📄 Requirements to any Work

We do not want your research to gather dust in some corner of bookshelf but make it accessible to the world. Thus, we warmly encourage you to create some or all of the following:

• Infograph - visually represent some of your work
• Slide Deck - prepare a slide deck on your overall topic with relevant, interesting and impactful findings
• MVP- Develop a prototype with us

📬 How to Apply

If you are interested, please contact Isabell Welpe and Bernd Storm by submitting your CV, a grade report, a short motivation and your suggested research approach.

We are looking forward to hearing from you!

👉 Bernd: bernd@bitsandpretzels.com

👉 Isabell: welpe@tum.de