Curating a Sustainable Consulting Practice: Reflections of Experts

Abstract

The consulting industry continues to evolve in the age of digital transformation, and the expanding role of the management consultant remains critical as managers seek to navigate uncertainty. When and how professionals choose to engage in a consulting practice is a career consideration for many career pivoters, doctoral students, and academics seeking to be more connected to the practice of management. This symposium reports on the amazing career stories of ten experienced consultants who each have cultivated sustainable consulting practices. Often the choice to launch a consulting practice occurs after many have established themselves as scholars in a particular management knowledge area and become interested in putting their scholarly knowledge to work. Universities are not in the business of developing their professors and students as consultants. Thus, there is a need to address this desire among many members of the Academy of Management. The purpose of this symposium is to provide participants with a venue for sharing and exploring how to develop a management consulting practice. Members of the Academy of Management (both scholars and practitioners) who have thriving consulting practices and/or firms will share their stories and interact with participants interested in either developing or enhancing their consulting practices. The session brings together established practitioners, scholars, and students, creating a forum through which ideas can be shared about how to make the shift from scholar to consultant.