The influence of private sector consultants on public management reforms: taking stock

This article will help policy-makers and managers understand the roles private sector management consultants have played in public management reforms, what kinds of problems their involvement in public management reforms can entail and how to address these shortcomings. Although management consultants can provide useful expertise in planning and implementing public management reforms, their advice does not always consider public sector needs. Furthermore, the growing use of consultant services can hollow out public sector capacities. The authors highlight different rhetorical devices that consultants have used to increase their influence on public sector clients. Practitioners need to be aware of such techniques when making decisions about involving consultants in public management reforms. The authors also discuss how public managers can improve the commissioning of management consultants in order to address potential shortcomings and enhance the transfer of useful knowledge from consultants. This article takes stock of the existing literature and outlines the state-of-the-art knowledge about the influence of private sector management consultants on public management reforms. The authors distinguish between different logics for characterizing management consultants' involvement, outline a set of discursive mechanisms that help amplify management consultants' influence and delineate the impacts management consultants have had on public management reforms. The article explains the governance structures and practices that have been proposed for ensuring more meaningful involvement of consultants.