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Plexus Consulting Group
Steven M. Worth
CONSULTING AND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY
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Characteristics for Success
• Flexibility• Timeliness• Affordability• Objectivity• Comparative
intelligence
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WHAT MAKES FOR A GOOD CONSULTANT?
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The Skills You Need• Understand the needs of all
stakeholders
• Build creative solutions– Distill the key points from your
resources– Clearly communicate the analysis
• Organizational and technological acumen
• Leverage experience
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Building a Career in Consulting
• Learn from an expert (find a mentor)
• Patience, patience, patience
• Be brave! Know when to take risks
• Practice continuous education
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Plexus – The Matrix Organization
Market Research and Development
Strategic Planning
Organizational Restructuring
Public Relations and Public Affairs
Credentialing
Healthcare
Education
International
Development
Financial
Services
Professional
Services
About Plexus
• Nonprofit and public sector clients
• Three business lines– Consulting– On-going management– Education and training
• International services
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Case Studies
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
• Project Management Institute (PMI)
• Jeremy’s Heroes
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Case 1 – American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
The Problem• Membership from 1999 to 2003 had declined• Almost all of the decline came from the US• International membership was growing, but it
was slower than its potential
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Solution• Created a marketing plan
for ASME based on its most useful characteristics– Quantitative and qualitative
surveys of current and potential members of ASME International
– Demographic research, environmental scan, competitor intelligence, and discussions with ASME staff
• Focused on key demographics – academics, young engineers, managers, and customers of ASME services
• ASME needed to develop a more flexible, market-based structure
• Plexus recommended four key markets based on these trends– European Union– Southeast Asia– India– China
Case 1
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Conclusions
• Three global trends created opportunity– Increased talent in developing economies– Promotion of global standards– Need to transfer technical knowledge to the least
developed countries• ASME capitalized on governmental, policy-
based drivers of growth• Credentialing, education, and training programs
aligned with governmental “capacity programs”
Case 1
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Case 2 – Project ManagementInstitute (PMI)
The Problem• PMI was growing at over 30 percent per year,
and much of the growth came from outside the US
• How could PMI take advantage of these international growth opportunities without taking excessive organizational risks?
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Solution
• Partner with existing organizations in each international market to deliver PMI’s products and services
• Create new products for these partner organizations as needed
• Receive licensing fees from these partners to take advantage of growth with less risk
Case 2
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Conclusions
• A global presence can be built without large financial investment
• Solutions to global problems can have applications in the United States
Case 2
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Case 3 – Jeremy’s Heroes
Background• Jeremy’s Heroes is a small nonprofit working to
benefit underprivileged kids interested in sports that was created to honor Jeremy Glick, one of the heroes on United Flight 93 on September 11, 2001
The Problem• What is the best approach for Jeremy’s Heroes to
succeed in their fledgling state?
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Solution
• Establish working relationships with nonprofit and governmental organizations
• Build a national system for soliciting and evaluating proposals
• Craft master plan to raise funds to support all approved programs and policy studies that advance Jeremy’s Heroes Mission
• Create formal committees to address the structural issues in the nascent organization
Case 3
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Conclusions
• Ten years later, the four step plan has been successful
• The organization has increased their visibility through charitable and public events
• A formal structure for identifying aid recipients has been formalized
• Fundraising plans have been successfully implemented
Case 3
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Q&A Session