Managing Management Consulting

Abstract: The management consulting industry is growing. The industryis also described as being exposed to increased pressure fromthe environment. An interesting question is then how resourcesare managed in management consulting firms in order tosustain competitive advantage. The purpose with this thesis isto investigate how firms in the management consulting industrymanage their resources through the lens of the resourcemanagement framework and if there are any signs of change.Through a multiple case study of the processes in two largemanagement consulting firms, the activity (i.e. the use ofresources) perceived as important for the leveraging ofcompetitive advantage is studied. The findings suggest thatcustomers have a much more central part in the resourcemanagement process than depicted in the resourcemanagement framework. The clearest signs of change refer tothe development of new career paths and an increased globalintegration of competencies.