People seem to try for business doctorates for 3 main reasons (because its there, teaching work, consulting work). I'm keen for the first reason, but the last one interests me, because I'm in consulting. Its often said that while doctorates aren't necessarily great in terms of landing a great job or getting promotion in business, they serve a role in consulting. However the only doctorates I've seen that are worth anything in terms of getting or doing consulting work are those in very technical fields e.g. quant finanance/maths doctorates for risk management work etc. Admittedly I work in a financially oriented filed, so my sample may be skewed! Has anyone had real experience or at least anecdotal evidence of the benefits of a business doctorate in consulting, esp with the big firms?
Obvioulsy I don't have a business doctorate, but I do have an opinion. It really appears that just having the doctorate, even if it is not in business, seems to lend a great deal of credibility to the consultants role. If they can be introduced as Dr. So and So, it gives an appearance of more crediblity. Just a thought.
In my opinion, those who are pursuing doctorates in Business have what amounts to a golden opportunity to become very highly qualified experts in a field of their choice. This can happen through the learning achieved through both the standard and elective courses taken, and the learning achieved during the research for a dissertation. If the dissertation provides a really significant contribution to the body of knowledge in a field of the student’s choice and experience, if the elective courses support the body of knowledge associated with the dissertation, and if that field is marketable, then the student may graduate being perhaps the most qualified expert or among the most qualified experts in that field in the country. The student should experience a very favorable subsequent position within the law of supply and demand in the job market or consulting market.
Let us say that you go to a big firm and they are looking for someone to handle some organizational issues (maybe employee motivation). They want a consultant becuase they don't have any expert, or they want an outsiders opinion. One candidate has a OB undegrad and a MBA. The second has an undgrad. MBA, and a doctorate in Business, where she (or he) completed a doctorate in the effects of employee motivation in large cap firms. Not only completed that, but also has been published on the subject needed….. which would you pick, all other things being equal? You are the expert, not just a business person that has started your own business. Most large companies don't care about one consultants price (one project 25K, no of concern for an expert). What is even better though is the reason you get this degree is for the combination of all of these factors.
And Yet .... I agree that a relevent doctorate would be useful in a "line-up" of consultants, but frankly, most firms are buying the brand and the relationship, and sales/relationship skills are what push you ahead in the higher ranks of consulting - steadily increasing your "content" knowledge can actually mark you out as a geek. The other way around this that I've considered is to do a thesis focussing on the business of consulting, rather than on an area I could consult in. Esp since very few strategy models focus on b2b services companies.
And Yet .... I agree that a relevent doctorate would give you the edge in a head to head cotnest, but most consulting contracts I encounter are won on brand and relatonship issues. Cyncical, I know, but pretty accurate! Also, the recognised skills at the higher levels of consulting are those that are related to building realtionships and getting sales, not developing increased "content" knowledge. In fact, being seen as more interested in content may label you a geek and sideline you. I've been thnking that a way around this is to do a thesis on the business of consulting, esp seeing that the mba courses I took were very thin on issues concerning b2b services companies...
Re: And Yet .... Can you clarify this??? I could not disagree more. Now that we are not in elementary or high school, the experts in a field are not considered geeks, but experts. I wasn't sure if your comment was sarcastic, so if it was, please disregard. I work with many doctrates (some in hard sciences and some in business, etc.). I have heard many people called geeks (actually our engineering community differientates between dorks and geeks), but it is in good fun, not that anyone would not be given a job due to being educated as a consultant.
Re: And Yet .... Royal Roads University in Victoria does a distance MBA with a specialization in management consulting (presumably the business of consulting) which results in being able to be a Certified Management Consultant. I'm not sure what that designation gets you, and I don't think they have a doctorate program, but it does seem to be focused on the business side of using an MBA. Personally I think a general education and extensive practical experience would go further than a specialty in consulting, but I am not aware of the details of what students learn in the RRU MBA.
Reply Kristie7, in clarification: I work with a Big 4 firm of auditors, but with their consulting operation. The views I express about how they operate and what leads to a successful career with them, are based on 3 years experience, and don't reflect either thewhole firm, or how I believe a consulting firm should operate. I'm not being sarcastic but honest when I say they use the brand to attract work, and try to use recently qualified accountants to provide a wide range of services. They manage to charge high margins for fairly vanilla work, and the streetwise staff quickly realise that the road to success is sales, not content. Staff are viewed as "inventory "rather than as an investment, in that they are "run down" in tough times and built up in good. I'm sure that real expertise is more valued in other firms, but I'm also convinced that elements of my experience can be learnt from. In particular, the topic of ones thesis, as wellas the motivation for doing a doctorate need to be carefully thought out as well as how these are "sold" to various people, in order to maximise the benefit of the degree and for it not to become a handicap. Reading this I realise I sound very cynical, but it expresses my working environment. I wish it didn't! Perhaps a PhD will spur me to move on!
I understand now, I thought you meant if you were seen as geeky that you couldn't land a job as a consultant. I understand your point, and you clarified well - I do agree that consulting is a sales job, but with more aspects to sell, it could be an asset.
Or... I don't think doing a doctorate merely gives you something else to sell - in consulting it should give you a lot more content skills as well as skills at doing research, which could be very valuable for the client who is prepared to pay for that. Unfortunately many clents ither expect you to have the answer rather than offer to research it, or they consider the questions that require resarch "too big". But there are some clients who would welcome it. My perspective is that this (doing a doctorate) will force/enable me to offer different services - almost a new model from our current "cut and paste" solutions, but that it is unlikely to be more lucrative, and hence doens't really fit the culture of our company. Therefore the next career move will probably be more entrepreneural...
