TITLE:
Portraying the Social Dimensions of Consulting with Structuration Theory
AUTHORS:
Christian Mauerer, Volker Nissen
KEYWORDS:
Consulting, Consultant-Client-Relationship, Structuration Theory, Consulting Research
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Service Science and Management,
Vol.7 No.2,
April
23,
2014
ABSTRACT: In this
paper, we argue that the consultant-client relationship is of central
importance for consulting engagements. The paper therefore outlines the social
dimensions that are inherent in the consulting system due to its
characteristics that create social complexity. To gain further insights into
the social interaction scheme and dynamics of consulting projects, a
conceptualization based on an appropriate theoretical model is required. We
propose to utilize the Structuration Theory for the compilation of the social
context of consulting, as this provides a framework for incorporating the
social determinants, focuses on actions of human-beings, and additionally
allows the identification of interrelated dependencies of structure and
actions.