Emerging Trends and Issues in Management Consulting

A volume in Research in Management ConsultingSeries Editor Anthony F. Buono, Bentley UniversityThe ninth volume in the Research in Management Consulting (RMC) series-much like the volumesthat preceded it-underscores that management consulting is a multifaceted field with atruly eclectic nature. Management consultants range from sole practitioners and those working insmall boutique firms to members of global consultancies that literally span the world. Their interventionscan consist of relatively simple, commonly available services focused on mid- to lowerlevelorganizational members, to those that are far more esoteric in nature, providing vital assistanceand direction to key players at the upper echelons of the corporate hierarchy. As consultantswe can have individuals, groups and work units, or organizations as our "client," and engagementscan be dominated by junior-level specialists or guided by senior-level gurus and advisorsThe volume contains 11 chapters that continue the RMC series' commitment to enhancing our understanding of and insight into managementconsulting and the consulting process from a cross-cultural, global perspective. The book is divided into three sections thatexplore emerging issues and challenges in the management consulting industry, trends and techniques in management consulting interventions,and reflections on consulting and the consulting process.This volume, which captures the dual nature-possibilities and challenges -associated with management consulting, adds to theJanus-faced portrayal of the field. Drawing on the interplay between practice and scholarship, the volume adds to the series goal ofgaining a fuller understanding of management consulting theory in practice and practice in context in a quest for actionable knowledgeabout consultants, consultancies and the consulting process.