Chapter 30: Contextualizing Seam in the Broad Milieu of Consulting Methodologies

There is a broad milieu of consulting methodologies available to the well-trained scholar-practitioner. General categories include expert (topic-specific technical guidance), doctor-patient (a variant of expert stressing the client’s symptoms and perspective), and process consulting (helping an organization develop fundamental capabilities to sustain and expand near-term improvements). The Academy of Management’s Management Consulting Division embraces all responsible, theory-supported consulting methodologies, and as past chairs of the Division, the authors explore the contribution of Socio-Economic Management (SEAM) to the field, with special attention to its action research implications.