Small Things Behind Big Changes: The Multidimensionality of Work as Part of Inter-organizational Strategizing Involving Strategy Consulting Firms and Their Clients
authors
keywords
- Inter-organizational strategizing
- Consulting
- Emails
- Work
document type
COMMabstract
In the current business environment, organizations are increasingly relying on external expertise, such as strategy and management consulting firms, to help shape their strategic direction. These entities collaborate with businesses to achieve short-term objectives and drive broader initiatives, which fosters reflection on overall development and the formulation of new strategies. This paper delves into the pivotal role of consulting firms in shaping the strategy of client firms by analyzing the work performed during the consulting mission. To achieve this, we propose a novel methodology that primarily leverages email exchanges between consulting firms and client teams, which is a primary mode of communication in this context. This data source allows us to reconstruct the key events of the strategizing process, identify different forms of work, and analyze the connections between consulting tasks and the forms of work they entail. Our findings emphasize the importance of multidimensional work in shaping client-consultant strategizing.