Andersen Consulting (Europe): Entering the Business of Business Integration

Building on its existing strengths in the systems integration business, Andersen Consulting is aiming to create the business of "business integration", i.e. to help clients re-structure their companies through an integrated and coherent review of strategy, operations and information technology capabilities. The case describes the challenges being faced by Andersen in creating the new competencies required to support this business thrust, and in integrating these competencies with its existing strengths in the systems integration business.

The case addresses the question of how organizations learn; to give students an understanding of the differences between single-loop and double-loop learning and to discuss the specific mechanisms a company needs to build in order to support these different learning processes.