Consultant's role: a qualitative inquiry from the consultant's perspective

Although a great deal of research has been carried out on business consultancy, little has been written on business consultancy from the consultant’s viewpoint. An investigation of how business consultants perceive their role and contribution within their clients’ organisations was undertaken, through conducting a series of interviews where business consultants were asked to comment on issues related to the nature of the relationship with their clients, including the pros and cons of their role and also the amount of control and discretion they exercise over the different projects that they are engaged in. Interview data was from a variety of fields such as change management, information technology, corporate finance and human resources. Drawing on different perspectives, this study aims to demystify the role of business consultants, and to ascertain how they perceive their role within their clients’ organisations.