Anthony F. Buono – författare

The focus of this volume is on the myriad dynamics associated with these interorganizational ventures. Emphasis is placed on (1) understanding the nature of these different interorganizational forms and (2) ways to enhance their effectiveness, creating and sustaining complex problem-solving capabilities and collaborative tendencies in a multiorganizational environment. While the orientation of many of the initiatives and interventions in this volume reflects a traditional organization-development (OD) focus, emphasis is placed on working across organizational interfaces, attempting to create the capacity and systemic potential for greater interorganizational learning and performance, rather than releasing human potential solely within an organization (see, e.g., Cummings, 1984). Consultants and researchers in this realm thus focus on spanning organizations, creating and modifying networks of participants that (1) have a stake in particular interorganizational outcomes and (2) depend on those inter-firm relationships and networks to accomplish their goals.

Challenges and Issues in Knowledge Management – the fifth volume in the Research on Management Consulting series – presents sixteen chapters that explore these various perspectives, focusing on knowledge management within the context of the management consulting industry, the dynamics associated with knowledge sharing and dissemination, methodological approaches to studying knowledge in organizations, and reflections on knowledge management and management consulting. As the chapters underscore, it is important to ensure that KM initiatives are aligned with the needs of the organization and its members, that the KM system is ''owned'' by organizational members with particular emphasis on executive sponsorship and team member acceptance, and that it be understood as an ongoing process rather than simply another management objective or faddish consulting tool. The focus, therefore, should be on how knowledge processes can be facilitated, leveraged and utilized in organizational value creation.

The second volume in the Research in Management Consulting series focuses on developing knowledge and value in management consulting. While there has been an exponential explosion in both the presence and role played by management consultants, the exact nature of their contribution —to client organizations, to our understanding of management and organization, to our comprehension of the increasingly complex dynamics associated with business in a global marketplace, and to the development of their own firms—remains ambiguous. Just as the business world is experiencing rapid and, at times, volatile change, the consulting industry itself is also facing unprecedented change and challenge. Over the next decade, forecasts suggest a world of difference for management consulting, from different competitors and different types of projects and assignments, to different skill sets and different fee structures, to different client expectations.

Buono (Bentley College) collects material on changes in the management consultant industry, current trends and techniques in management consulting, and concepts of consulting theory building and intervention. Contributors in business administration, strategic management, and organizational change offer perspectives on the various ways in which consultants and their firms are attempting to position and reposition themselves as leading professionals, and address topics in linkage research, global virtual teams, and executive coaching.