Abstract
As a growing phenomenon in business practice, management consulting is receiving increasing interest from researchers. However, the emerging image of the consulting service varies to a large extent according to the research tradition followed. Two main opposing perspectives have emerged - the functional and the critical. From the functional perspective, management consulting is depicted as a knowledge-based service aimed at improving the performance of its clients business. Management consultants are seen as possessing a unique knowledge of management techniques, and consulting organizations are treated as knowledge-intensive firms with an ability to generate and explore management knowledge through management knowledge activities. The knowledge content of the consulting service is questioned from a critical perspective, and alternative rationales for the consulting service are presented. Examples of such rationales are uncertainty reduction and consultants' ability to convince managers of their need for consulting services by creating impressions of value.