mprashanth311092 wrote:
Hi all,
I am a MBA aspirant looking to switch careers from a manufacturing sector to Consulting. I am looking into career options which are closely related to my current job but more involved in problem-solving.
Can someone enlighten me the difference between Operations Consulting & Strategy Consulting ? I understand that it deals with operational aspects of a certain firm and how to improve productivity etc. But what are the key differences between them and differences in the skill set required.
Also are operations consultants in demand compared to traditional strategy consultants? If yes, are there any metrics on the annual number of operation consultants hired by Management consultancy firms?
Last but not the least, what are the business schools which send Operations consultants? Are schools specialised in Operations Management (Like Sloan, Tepper etc.) good for Operations consultancy or the traditional M7 are still better for Operations consultancy?
Thanks a lot in advance!!
Here is a reply from Victor Cheng, an ex-McKinsey-er. Hope this helps you clear the question about the difference between Operations and Strategy Consulting.
Quote:
Strategy is harder to get into and more prestigious. The skills for strategy consulting is a super set of those needed for operations. Strategy consultants do work on operations as I do, but not vice versa. Operation consultants, particularly the senior ones, tend to have more functional or industry knowledge. Strategy consultants have more general problem solving skills.
The main client contact for an operational consulting firm is typically the Vice President of a department like HR, Technology or Finance. The main client contact for a strategy consultant is almost always the CEO, President of a company or division of the company, and occasionally the board of directors.
In terms of the skills overlap, both need great interpersonal skills and strong communication skills. The importance of both can not be underestimated. It seems like these skills would be useful in any job, but they are especially critical in consulting, and the level of skills demonstrated by consultants in both of these areas is often extremely high.