Strategy consultants doing strategy: How status and visibility affect strategizing

Abstract

Strategy consultants form a highly influential group of strategy practitioners, yet surprisingly neglected within strategy studies. Therefore, we aim to contribute our own understanding to the term, strategy consultants and discuss the characteristics of strategy work. We do this from the perspective of strategy-as-practice and direct our attention to the praxis and practices of strategy consultants. Our study builds upon extensive empirical material, including first hand observations of strategy consulting work being performed. Based upon results from a grounded theory analysis (early- and intermediate stages), we claim that strategy consulting work differs substantially depending on the roles that are constituted by the interaction and relation with the client. We suggest four metaphors to categorize these roles and discuss their characteristics and implications for strategizing activities. Key words: Strategy, strategy-as-practice, strategy consultants, metaphors.