Practice what you preach: How consultants frame management concepts as enacted practice

SummaryTo contribute to the understanding of management knowledge commodification, this research explores how management consultants frame management concepts as enacted practice. Despite the recognition of consultants as important knowledge entrepreneurs, little academic research considers how they understand the enactment of commodified forms of management knowledge in relation to their assignments. Drawing on a practice-based perspective and 64 in-depth interviews with management consultants, this study identifies key framing moves related to dispositional and interactive-situational dimensions, that consultants use to make sense of and justify the possible translations of management concepts in their assignments. These framing moves provide a broader theoretical understanding of relevant processes that shape management knowledge commodification and clarify important preconditions that may limit possible alternative interpretations of concepts.

► We explore how consultants frame management concepts as enacted practice. ► We identify framing moves related to two key dimensions. ► Consultants use moves to make sense and justify possible translations of concepts. ► Framing moves are relevant to understand commodification processes. ► Framing moves help clarifying limits to possible translations of concepts.