Client Perspective and the Suggested Consulting Approach
Investments in the areas that are especially prone to rapid changes that are quite difficult to predict require substantial decision-making and the support of a proficient consulting service. The Arts Council England (ACE) has recently built a 10-year strategic framework that makes the goal of investing in art projects and the related business opportunities an especially challenging task. The official position of the organization mostly involves popularizing art and making art pieces available to anyone, which suggests that the organization will require a consulting strategy for appealing to a vast array of customers.
Given the current focus on introducing the principles of multiculturalism and diversity into the company’s general appeal, it would be reasonable to consider process consulting as the most suitable tool for offering ACE the required services. The identified technique will provide the firm with a substantial amount of flexibility in decision-making and guide it toward the solution that meets its needs perfectly. At the same time, the process consulting technique will enable the organization to adopt a sensible approach toward managing its resources, thus allowing ACE to appeal to as wide an audience as possible.
Relevant Information
Before applying the strategies outlined in the tender to solving ACE’s problems, one should mention the necessity to respond to alterations in the global cultural landscape and the artistic world. For instance, one will need to recognize the fact that the number of opportunities for applicants to express themselves has multiplied with the introduction of new artistic tools. The vast array of artistic medium tools has grown with the introduction of digital devices into the artistic setting, which implies that the standards for the quality and originality of the end product have to be set at a reasonable rate. Thus, the first step for ACE to take when considering investment options is to revisit its current standards for funding artistic projects to select the ones that have the highest potential.
Another important aspect to consider when addressing ACE’s approach toward project management and its investment decisions is the fact that the organization has been geared toward purchasing tangible assets, including equipment and art pieces (Andler 2016). Given the fact that ACE will need to attract the attention of creators, as well as general audiences, investing in the creation of further opportunities for artistic expression, will be needed (Finance: information sheets n.d.).
Therefore, the current focus of ACE regarding the artistic movements that it represents and the art pieces that it wishes to feature will define the direction of the consulting process. So far, the active promotion of diversity should be seen as a priority.
Another important piece of information concerns the budget of the project. Although reducing expenses is one of the objectives that the current project pursues, taking costs is unavoidable in the described scenario since ACE will have to invest in talent management as a crucial part of promoting itself to new audiences (Turner 2016). By transitioning from the strategy consulting to the operational one and shifting to the implementation framework and, ultimately, to the planning process, one will enable ACE to institutionalize change and introduce it to the concept of non-incremental innovations as the driving force behind its success.
In addition, the framework for information management and the marketing tools that ACE currently uses will have to be collected. Building awareness among potential customers is a crucial stage of promoting the company’s development and enhancing the efficacy of its projects’ implementation. Although ACE has been displaying the tendency for digitalization, there is the need to incorporate digital marketing tools into the range of the services that the organization has to offer. Therefore, ACE will need consultations concerning investing in R&D as an inseparable part of the project management process.
Service Implementation and Management
The suggested techniques will be integrated into ACE’s functioning immediately in order to institutionalize change and facilitate a smooth transfer to the new principle of functioning. In order to perform a full-fledged analysis of the organization’s current situation, one will need to conduct both the SWOT analysis and the assessment based on Porter’s Five Forces (Poulfelt & Olson 2017). The proposed frameworks will guide ACE toward a thorough study of its current advantages and disadvantages, as well as the methods of maximizing its profit margins.
Moreover, developing a competitive advantage that will make the organization more attractive to investors should be seen as a priority (Chen, Kang, & Lee 2017). At present, positioning ACE as the organization that incorporates diverse and innovative art pieces along with the representations of traditional art forms will have to be deemed as the competitive advantage that ACE should develop.
Table 1. SWOT.
As stressed above, the implementation of the described approach will entail a change in the existing framework for maintaining ACE’s communication with its visitors, partners, and artists. Specifically, the transfer to a digitalized framework for managing communicational and marketing processes will be required. Thus, the coaching process will involve providing ACE with recommendations concerning the communication strategies and the methods of managing the challenges associated with attracting new artists and customers.
Furthermore, to maximize the consulting opportunities, one will need to consider the on-sell approach. Given the vast potential of contemporary art and the opportunities for ACE’s expansion, it will be necessary to focus on the cross-sell consulting approach. Specifically, ACE can use an expansion of its current portfolio by inviting artists from other states to contribute to the progress of the firm (Melville 2018). For this purpose, the application of the change lifecycle principle and the promotion of continuous improvement as the corporate philosophy will have to be integrated into AQCE’s system.
Pyramid Structure
Reference List
Andler, N 2016, Tools for project management, workshops, and consulting: a must-have compendium of essential tools and techniques, John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY.
Chen, H, Kang, HY & Lee, A 2017, ‘A project management plan to reach sustainable competitive advantage for a photovoltaic (PV) manufacturer’, Sustainability, vol. 9, no. 9, pp. 1496-1509.
Finance: information sheets n.d. Web.
Melville 2018 Consulting interview case preparation: frameworks and practice cases, Charles River Editors, Ann Arbor, MI.
Poulfelt, F & Olson, TH 2017, Management consulting today and tomorrow: perspectives and advice from leading experts, Routledge, New York, NY.
Turner, R 2016, Gower handbook of project management, Routledge, New York, NY.