HRD 870

Elizabeth Brown, Tiffany Helms, Reid Johnson,

and Jenny Ray
 The History of Consulting
 HR Consulting Firms
 HR Consulting Specialties
 The Future of Consulting
 Arthur D. Little, first consulting firm founded in 1886.

1886
 Independent management consulting firms
experienced rapid growth during the Great
Depression.

1886 1930’s
 The Federal Government hires a large number of
consultants to streamline civilian production and
reorganize the military.

1886 1930’s 1940’s

 “The American Challenge”

1960’s &
1886 1930’s 1940’s
1970’s
 Consulting becomes more complex and specialized.

1960’s & 1886 -

1886 1930’s 1940’s
1970’s Present
1) Top Human Resource Firms:
 Workforce Management’s “The Hot List”
 Listing of the Top Human Resource Consultants based on revenue.
 List has remained pretty constant over past 4 years
2) Local Presence in South Carolina

 Four of the eight firms in the 2010 “Hot List” have offices in SC
 Aon, Deloitte, and Mercer have offices located in Greenville.
 PricewaterhouseCoopers has an office located in Spartanburg.
3) Services provided globally
 All companies represented in “The Hot List” provide services
globally.
 The number of full-time HR consultants on staff with these
companies range from 905 (The Segal Co.) to 11,300 (Deloitte).
 Expertise
2.Sourcing, Screening, Interviewing
3.Pre- and Post offer testing
4.Training
 Expertise
2.Reduction in workforce
3.Mergers and Acquisitions
4.Business closure
 Expertise
2.Pay plans and Grading Systems
3.Completing market assessments
4.Bonus and Incentive programs
 Expertise
2.Benefits shopping
3.Writing benefit plans
4.Wellness plans
5.Retirement plans
 Expertise
2.Organizational development
3.Leadership development
4.Coaching
5.Performance improvement
 Expertise
2.Union campaigns and
negotiations
3.Risk assessments
 Other HR Consulting Specialties
2.Technology and Systems
3.Strategy and Planning
4.Policies and Procedures
5.Health and Safety
6.Compliance
 May 2009 – Zacks Investment Researchers had a negative
outlook for the business consulting industry due to the
recession
 Prospective clients may delay decisions on whether or not
to retain a consultant.
 Existing clients may find that they can get by without the
support of a consultant.
 Slow customer growth due to tightened budgets.

 Plunkett Research, Ltd. predicts growth in global

consulting industry revenues
 2010 revenue is estimated to be ~$345 billion.

 11.2% greater than 2009 ($310 billion)

 4.5 % greater than 2008 ($330 billion)