Knowledge rhetoric in the “Big Four” consulting firms – the quest for legitimacy, and the peculiar case of similarity

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to conceptualize the practice of knowledge rhetoric in knowledge-intensive firms (KIFs). The methodology applied to this qualitative study is based on the principles of a social constructivist paradigm. Document analysis in turn, with a multi-leveled Key Words In Context (KWIC) technique, was applied in analyzing the source material. The source material consists of the global annual reports of the “Big Four” consulting firms Deloitte, PwC, EY, and KPMG for financial year 2013. This study finds that the practice of knowledge rhetoric in KIFs centers on the five key words: knowledge, skills, experience, understanding, and insight. Knowledge rhetoric around these five key words is supported by four rhetorical strategies, theorized as Teleological, Ontological, Cosmological, and Value-based. The similarity in practice of knowledge rhetoric among the “Big Four” is discussed as due to professionalization, and modeling as a response to uncertainty. The findings of this study also show that knowledge rhetoric constructs an image of being knowledgeable supporting the quest for legitimacy.