Die Strategien von Beratungsunternehmen in Zeiten von Corona : eine empirische Untersuchung der Beratungspraxis aus organisationssoziologischer Perspektive

• COVID-19 strategies of consulting companies : an empirical study of the consulting practice from an organizational sociological perspective

Dreyer, Lianara Patricia; Häußling, Roger Adrian Maria (Thesis advisor); Lemm, Jacqueline (Thesis advisor)

Aachen : RWTH Aachen University (2023)
Master Thesis

Masterarbeit, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, 2022

Abstract

In the context of the Corona pandemic, the master’s thesis is elaborating the effects of the pandemic on consulting companies. The theoretical point of reference is neoinstitutionalism. On the basis of interviews with consultants, the study examines how the firms organized themselves in the course of the pandemic and how they shaped internal cooperation, how the consulting services were provided under the changed conditions, and what predictions were made about the future work of consultants. The analysis shows that the pandemic primarily affected the consulting firms economically through turnover losses and changes in demand. In the course of the pandemic, however, the situation has largely stabilized. Increased marketing activities via various marketing channels, from daily newspapers to social media, have contributed to this. The consultancies benefit from the use of home office on the client side. It enables a more efficient organization and more sustainable design of the consulting work. The cultural change to home office on clients' side opens up time flexibility for the consultants. This increases the well-being of the consultants and enhances the attractiveness of the profession. Nevertheless, with regard to the everyday work, the pandemic has contributed to a stronger demand of personal responsibility of the employees and working from home requires a high degree of self-organization and self-discipline. Based on the analysis of the effects of the pandemic and its consequences for work, recommendations for action were developed.

Institutions

• Chair of Sociology with a Focus on Technical and Organizational Sociology [761310]