The management consulting profession in Queensland: some issues and perspectives

Abstract

[Abstract]: Academics and practitioners have recently intensified the debate on the relevance or otherwise of organisational and management theory to actual practice in today’s environment. A multidisciplinary team of five academics from three departments at the University of Southern Queensland has embarked upon a study to identify the major issues, perspectives and strategies espoused by leading practising management consultants in assisting their clients to become more effective in managing change within their respective organisations. The initial phase of the study involved in-depth semi-structured interviews of 24 consultants based in Brisbane, Queensland. The consultants were selected on the basis of depth and diversity of experience, size of operation and types of specialisations. This paper reports a number of themes that have emerged from the data analysis to date. In particular, the themes relate to the status of management consulting in Queensland, the quality of Australian management, differences between public and public sector clients, and the role of marketing.