Chapter 1: Consultant–Client Interaction: Shaping the Identity of Management Consultants

Management consulting continues to be a fast growing business, with an average double-digit growth rate over the past decade, evolving into a more than 250 billion dollar global industry. The consulting field has not only turned into a huge professional service industry, it has also developed into a cultural force, exerting a major influence on corporate life as well as the public sector. Indeed, there appears to be a basic consensus that management consultants have become key players in the knowledge creation and transfer process, pushing their insights across firms, industries, and even countries (e.g., Clark & Fincham, 2002; Davenport & Prusak, 2009; Kipping & Engwall, 2002; Mills, Dukeov, & Fey, 2007; Sahlin-Andersson, & Engwall, 2002). The reality is that in most cases where consultants have been involved, the outcome clearly reflects their footprint, shaping to varying degrees how the client organization will perform in the future (Buono, 2009; Buono & Poulfelt, 2009). Such influence is also reflected in an analysis conducted in the UK showing that consultants on average added value to their clients ten times the fees paid (Management Consultancies Association, 2010).