Purchasing management consulting services—From management autonomy to purchasing involvement

Werr, Andreas; Pemer, Frida

doi:10.1016/j.pursup.2007.05.003

Cited by 50 publications

(99 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…The Norwegian and Swedish consulting markets belong to the Nordic cluster, which is the third largest business consulting market in Europe, and is often described as mature and well established (FEACO, ). The empirical context thereby offers valuable insights into how formalization initiatives play out in a setting in which management consultants are frequently hired (Werr & Pemer, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The background to this trend is the stronger focus in organizations on short‐term shareholder values, transparency, and cost control (Bergh & Gibbons, ). As a consequence of this trend, the traditionally dyadic relationship between client managers and suppliers of knowledge‐intensive services is increasingly being replaced by a triadic relationship between client managers, suppliers, and purchasing professionals (Bals, Hartmann & Ritter, ; Werr & Pemer, ). The introduction of an additional internal party in the purchasing process creates new inter‐ and intra‐organizational challenges, especially as regards the division of roles, power, and responsibility between the involved actors (Bastl, Johnson & Choi, ; Wynstra, Spring & Schoenherr, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Purchasing Policy or Purchasing Police? The Influence of Institutional Logics and Power on Responses to Purchasing Formalization

Pemer

Skjølsvik

2016

J Supply Chain Manag

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Seeking to benefit from higher levels of purchasing maturity, many organizations strive to formalize their purchasing practices. Why these practices are not adopted by certain organizations or for certain types of purchases is less well understood, however. It has been argued that the purchasing of knowledge-intensive services is particularly difficult to formalize, but an in-depth understanding of the inter-and intra-organizational dynamics influencing this process is lacking. This study contributes to the purchasing and supply management literature by providing a finegrained understanding of how actors respond to formalization initiatives. Building on an exploratory interview methodology and using institutional logic and power theory as foundations, we show that formalization initiatives lead to institutional complexity and conflicts. Sets of strategies and counterstrategies for how to deal with the complexity and conflicts are identified, and relational power is found to moderate which strategy is used by the actors. Based on the empirical findings, a conceptual model is developed to describe the response process.Initiatives to formalize relational purchases break the flow of stability (Weick, 1995) in organizations, because they challenge well-established practices and norms. The actors involved need to make sense of the new situation and decide on an appropriate response. As previous research has illustrated, perceptions of

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Purchasing Policy or Purchasing Police? The Influence of Institutional Logics and Power on Responses to Purchasing Formalization

Pemer

Skjølsvik

2016

J Supply Chain Manag

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“…Kieser, 2002) Seeking 'sell on' in projects can generate anti-consultancy sentiment and provoke more controlling/professional purchasing practices and/or help develop longer-term client relations (e.g. Kitay and Wright, 2004;Werr and Pemer, 2007) Profile and success of industry legitimates consultancy knowledge, skills, culture and careers in organizations, management functions (e.g. accounting and human resource management) (Greenwood, Suddaby and Hinings, 2002;Wright, 2008), education (e.g.…”

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confidence: 99%

Consultancy's Consequences? A Critical Assessment of Management Consultancy's Impact on Management

Sturdy

2011

British J of Management

134

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Much is claimed of management consultancy by critics and celebrants alike. Through shaping and legitimizing ideas and catalysing change, it has impacted on management practice and people's lives more generally. Given the growth of consultancy as an industry and wider activity, few have challenged these views. However, there are good reasons for treating them with some caution. In particular, its impact is exaggerated in geographical scope and confused with that of management ideas in general – consultancy as a scapegoat for management. At the same time, recent changes in both the nature and status of management and of consultancy have rendered traditional boundary distinctions less tenable such that the scope and impact of consultancy may be even greater than is typically assumed. Overall, its impact has been both understated and overstated. I therefore argue for a more cautious and critical approach. This recognizes consultancy as an integral part of management, where its distinctive role lies more in its structural position and ambiguous visibility and accountability than its practices, skills or occupational/professional identity claims. The research agenda thus becomes one of more clearly identifying the consequences of management as well as of consultancy, in part through a consideration of contexts where they are, or were, largely absent.

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Section: Commodification Of Management Knowledge: the Dominance Of Prmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The growth in use of procurement for buying consultancy knowledge means that its impact is increasingly felt in many areas, including the relationship between consultants and clients (Kennedy Information, ; Werr and Pemer, ). However, while the role of the procurement function has been studied at a generic level, for example in buying physical supplies (Smeltzer and Ogden, ), ‘considerably less is known … about the emerging practices of purchasing management consultants and the involvement of purchasing professionals in these practices’ (Werr and Pemer, , p. 99). When procurement is studied, it is frequently framed as ‘a rational, sequential process that follows established purchasing procedures’, recognizing and satisfying the needs of the client manager (Werr and Pemer, , p. 99) and leading to more effective use of consultants, lower costs, and greater accountability (Baker and Faulkner, ; Schiele, ).…”

Section: Commodification Of Management Knowledge: the Dominance Of Prmentioning

confidence: 99%

Commodifying the Commodifiers: The Impact of Procurement on Management Knowledge

O’Mahoney

Heusinkveld

Wright

2013

J Management Studies

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Current conceptualizations of the commodification of management knowledge prioritize the agency of knowledge producers, such as consultancies, but downplay the role of other actors such as intermediaries. Using a qualitative multi‐method study of the role of procurement in sourcing consultancy knowledge, we demonstrate how intermediaries also commodify management knowledge, thereby limiting the exchange value of that knowledge. Through our analysis we develop a more sophisticated model of the processes and consequences of knowledge commodification. This model clarifies and extends prior research by highlighting the role of commensuration, comparison and valuation, as well as the related tactics that consultants and client managers use to resist procurement's attempts to commodify management knowledge.

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Purchasing management consulting services—From management autonomy to purchasing involvement

Cited by 50 publications

References 19 publications

Purchasing Policy or Purchasing Police? The Influence of Institutional Logics and Power on Responses to Purchasing Formalization

Purchasing Policy or Purchasing Police? The Influence of Institutional Logics and Power on Responses to Purchasing Formalization

Consultancy's Consequences? A Critical Assessment of Management Consultancy's Impact on Management

Commodifying the Commodifiers: The Impact of Procurement on Management Knowledge

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