Chapter 1: Exploring Knowledge Creation Pathways in Advanced Management Consulting

The literature offers a wide selection of studies into firm knowledge management (Abrahamson, 1996)and management consulting (Whittle, 2006).¹ Management consulting firms are often discussed as being the archetypes of knowledge-intensive firms (e.g., Alvesson, 1995; Crucini, 2002; Heller, 2002; Werr, 2002), or as the firms whose core product is knowledge itself (Sarvary, 1999). Consulting firms are generally aware of the value of knowledge for their own organizations and for their clients.² However, the subject of knowledge creation potential that can be activated through the concrete implementation of management consulting interventions still remains a largely unexplored research area (see Ciampi, 2007). This chapter adopts a knowledge perspective for interpreting management consulting and proposes a general conceptual framework for investigating and interpreting that potential.