The Oxford Handbook of Management Consulting (Oxford Handbooks)

Management consultants of various kinds play an important role in the world of business, and within other types of organization. The Oxford Handbook on Management Consulting is a comprehensive overview of eminent thinking and research on management consultancy with contributions from leading international scholars. The first section provides an account of the historical developments in management consultancy research, and how current thinking has evolved from prior work. The second section focuses on disciplinary and theoretical perspectives on management consulting, their diversities, areas of synergy, and parallel concerns. The following sections examine consulting as a knowledge business; the consultants in management fashion; and the relationship between management consultants and their clients. The Handbook concludes with an assessment of areas of future research and debate. By bringing together a wide range of research and thinking on management consultancy across different disciplines, sub-disciplines, and conceptual approaches, the Handbook provides a comprehensive understanding of both current thinking and future directions for research. Cover Page Title Page Copyright Page Contents Acknowledgements List of Figures List of Tables Notes on the Contributors Chapter 1 Researching Management Consulting: An Introduction to the Handbook Part 1 Historical Development of Management Consulting Chapter 2 The Engineering Origins of the Consulting Industry and its Long Shadow Chapter 3 Human Relations and Management Consulting: Elton Mayo and Eric Trist Chapter 4 Institutional Change and the Growth of Strategy Consulting in the United States Chapter 5 Cuckoo in the Nest? The Rise of Management Consulting in Large Accounting Firms Chapter 6 IT Consulting and Outsourcing Firms: Evolution, Business Models, and Future Prospects Part 2 Disciplinary and Theoretical Perspectives Chapter 7 Sociological Perspectives on Management Consulting Chapter 8 Consultants in Context: Global Dominance, Societal Effect, and the Capitalist System Chapter 9 Professions and Professionalism in Management Consulting Chapter 10 Economics Approaches to Management Consulting Chapter 11 The Geographies of Management Consultancy Firms Part 3 Consulting As A Knowledge Business Chapter 12 Knowledge Management and Management Consulting Chapter 13 Consultants and Organization Concepts Chapter 14 Structuring Consulting Firms Chapter 15 Managing Consultants: Control and Identity Part 4 Consultants and Management Fashion Chapter 16 Consultants in the Management Fashion Arena Chapter 17 Management Gurus as Celebrity Consultants Chapter 18 Business Schools and Consultancies: The Blurring of Boundaries Part 5 Consultants and Their Clients Chapter 19 The Nature of Client–Consultant Interaction: A Critical Review Chapter 20 The Client in the Client–Consultant Relationship Chapter 21 Consultants and Clients from Constructivist Perspectives Chapter 22 Governments and Management Consultants: Supply, Demand, and Effectiveness Part 6 New Avenues for Research Chapter 23 The Future Research Agenda Chapter 24 Consulting and Ethics Chapter 25 Gender in Consulting: A Review and Research Agenda Chapter 26 Management Consulting in Developing and Emerging Economies: Towards a Postcolonial Perspective Index Management consultants of various kinds play an important role in the world of business, and within other types of organization. The Oxford Handbook on Management Consulting is a comprehensive overview of thinking and research on management consultancy with contributions from leading international scholars. The first section provides an account of the historical developments in management consulting research, and how current thinking has evolved from prior work. The second section focuses on disciplinary and theoretical perspectives, their diversities, areas of synergy, and parallel concerns. The following sections examine consulting as a knowledge business, consultants and management fashion, and the relationship between management consultants and their clients. The Handbook concludes with an assessment of areas of future research and debate. By bringing together a wide range of research and thinking on management consulting across different disciplines, sub-disciplines, and conceptual approaches, the Handbook provides a comprehensive understanding of both current thinking and future directions for research. "Management consultants of various kinds play an important role in the world of business, and within other types of organization. The Ocford Handbook of Management Consulting is a comprehensive overview of thinking and research on management consultancy with contributions from leading international scholars. The first section provides an account of the historical developments in management consulting research, and how current thinking has evolved from prior work. The second section focuses on disciplinary and theoretical perspectives, their diversities, areas of synergy, and parallel concerns. The following sections examine consulting as a knowledge business, consultants and management fashion, and the relationship between management consultants and their clients. The Handbooj concludes with an assessment of areas of future research and debate." -- Back cover Management consultants of various kinds play an important role in the world of business, and other organizations. This Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of research and thinking on the role, history, and function of management consultants.