Unveiling blind spots in consulting firms’ disseminating discourse on digital transformation

Monod, Emmanuel; Ko o ko a, Na aliia; Khalil, Sabine; Mey hale , An onia; Joyce,
Elisabe h
A icle — Published Ve sion
Un eiling blind spo s in consul ing i ms’ dissemina ing
discou se on digi al ans o ma ion
In o ma ion Sys ems and e-Business Managemen
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
Sp inge Na u e
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Monod, Emmanuel; Ko o ko a, Na aliia; Khalil, Sabine; Mey hale , An onia;
Joyce, Elisabe h (2024) : Un eiling blind spo s in consul ing i ms’ dissemina ing discou se on digi al
ans o ma ion, In o ma ion Sys ems and e-Business Managemen , ISSN 1617-9854, Sp inge ,
Be lin, Heidelbe g, Vol. 22, Iss. 4, pp. 759-803,
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Un eiling blind spo s inconsul ing i ms’ dissemina ing
discou se ondigi al ans o ma ion
EmmanuelMonod1,2· Na aliiaKo o ko a3· SabineKhalil4·
An oniaMey hale 5· Elisabe hJoyce6
Recei ed: 26 Oc obe 2023 / Re ised: 23 May 2024 / Accep ed: 29 July 2024 /
Published online: 4 Oc obe 2024
© The Au ho (s) 2024
Abs ac
Leading managemen consul ing i ms se e as key in luence s in dissemina ing
ashionable managemen ideas and aiding o ganiza ions h ough hei change ini ia-
i es. O ganiza ions o en seek guidance om hese i ms o implemen he manage-
men idea o digi al ans o ma ion (DT), en iced by he po en ial bene i s his idea
p omises. This s udy examines he epo s o six leading managemen consul ing
i ms o assess how hey shape he dissemina ing discou se on DT. Applying he
pe o mance-s uc u e- echnology amewo k, we un eil se e al blind spo s in he
DT consul ing discou se. Ou documen analyses e eal ha leading managemen
consul ing i ms, in hei discou se on DT, neglec comp ehensi e s a egic align-
men s in he o m o people, compe i i e con ex , and echnological me hods and
s uc u es. This s udy con ibu es o he li e a u e on change managemen , man-
agemen ideas, and he b oade in o ma ion sys ems li e a u e on DT by p o iding
insigh s in o he addishness and semblance o leading consul ing i ms’ discou se
on DT, while also shedding ligh on he nuances o DT consul ing and i s po en ial
o imp o emen .
Keywo ds Digi al ans o ma ion· Consul ing i ms· Managemen ashion·
Dissemina ing discou se· Pe o mance-s uc u e- echnology amewo k
1 In oduc ion
The managemen idea o digi al ans o ma ion (DT) (S u dy e  al. 2019) has
ecen ly been b ough o he angua d o change managemen ini ia i es (Im an
e al. 2021; Lanzolla e al. 2020). A ple ho a o oppo uni ies linked o DT, such as
he ein en ion o p oduc s, p ocesses, and alue chain ela ionships (Lanzolla e al.
2020; Mikale and Pa miggiani 2022), has se his idea on he agendas o nea ly
all o ganiza ions (Im an e al. 2021; Vial 2019). As a esul , in es men s in DT a e
Ex ended au ho in o ma ion a ailable on he las page o he a icle
760
E.Monod e al.
p ojec ed o each 3.4 illion U.S. dolla s by 2026 (IDC 2022). This e olu ion o
DT in o a ashionable managemen idea (Kühl 2020; Piazza and Ab ahamson 2020)
has been la gely spu ed by leading managemen consul ing i ms (Ande son and
Polasek 2021; Fo h e al. 2020), such as McKinsey, Deloi e, and Bos on Consul -
ing G oup (BCG). These i ms shape he DT dissemina ing discou se and in luence
i s adop ion ac oss a ious o ganiza ional con ex s (A mb us e 2006; La sson e al.
2020; O’Mahoney e  al. 2021). Howe e , despi e he p onounced in e es in DT
om managemen consul ing i ms, o ganiza ions s ill s uggle o implemen DT,
e lec ed in an ala mingly high ailu e a e o DT p ojec s, epo ed o be as high
as 84% (Libe e al. 2016). This challenge is no limi ed o smalle o ganiza ions
bu ex ends e en o indus y leade s like Nike, Fo d, P oc e and Gamble, and Lego
(Da enpo and Wes e man 2018). I unde sco es he c i ical need o a comp ehen-
si e unde s anding o he DT dissemina ing discou se p opaga ed by leading man-
agemen consul ancies.
The heo y o managemen ashion emphasizes he na u e o managemen ideas
and he cen al ole played by consul ancies in he di usion and adop ion o such
ideas (Ab ahamson 1991; Piazza and Ab ahamson 2020; S u dy e al. 2019). This
heo e ical s ance posi s ha many managemen and echnological ideas (e.g., Six
Sigma, Lean, DT) ollow cyclical pa e ns akin o wa es, whe ein hei popula i y
unp edic ably waxes and wanes (Piazza and Ab ahamson 2020). In his con ex o
managemen ashions, managemen consul ing i ms se e as ashion se e s (Piazza
and Ab ahamson 2020) ha (co-)p oduce and dissemina e managemen and echno-
logical ends o c ea e demand o hei se ices and subsequen ly o assis clien s
in adap ing hese ends o hei speci ic con ex s (Johanson and Madsen 2019; Jung
and Kiese 2012).
Wi hin he domain o managemen consul ing, leading consul ancies exe sig-
ni ican powe due o hei subs an ial inancial and human esou ces which hey
le e age o commodi y hei ideas (Heusink eld 2014; S u dy e al. 2019). They dis-
semina e hese ideas o a wide ange o p i a e and public o ganiza ions encoun e -
ing complex change endea o s, such as DT (Collins 2004; K ehmeye and F eeman
2012; Lundin e al. 2015; O’Mahoney and S u dy 2016). Consequen ly, hese con-
sul ing i ms’ dissemina ing discou se (Piazza and Ab ahamson 2020), con eyed in
he o m o di e en publica ions like whi e pape s, plays a pi o al ole in manage-
men ashion p opaga ion and implemen a ion in p ac ice (Ab ahamson 1996; Eng-
wall 2012; Gibson and Tesone 2001). This holds pa icula ly ue in he DT con ex ,
which demands ex ensi e assessmen o exis ing o ganiza ional design pa adigms
(Lanzolla e al. 2020; Pu anam e al. 2014) and a comp ehensi e ans o ma ion
o o ganiza ional s uc u e, capabili ies, and beha io (Fishe and Connelly 2017;
Geo ge and Lin 2017; K onblad 2020). Howe e , while managemen consul ancy
discou ses a e highly ele an o shaping o ganiza ional p ocesses (Tu ne 1982),
ou unde s anding o he na u e o consul ancy DT dissemina ing discou se emains
ambiguous (Pollach 2021).
Mo i a ed by he challenges encoun e ed in DT implemen a ion and he ou lined
esea ch gap, his s udy seeks o examine DT om he pe spec i e o hose dissemi-
na ing i as a p ominen ashionable managemen idea (Ab ahamson 1996): lead-
ing managemen consul ing i ms. We hus pose he ollowing esea ch ques ion:
761
Un eiling blind spo s inconsul ing i ms’ dissemina ing…
How do managemen consul ancies shape he dissemina ing discou se on digi al
ans o ma ion?
To answe his esea ch ques ion, we conduc ed a documen analysis o he DT
discou se dissemina ed by six leading managemen consul ing i ms: BCG, McK-
insey, Accen u e, Capgemini, Bain & Company, and Ta a Consul ing Se ices. By
d awing on he Pe o mance-S uc u e-Technology (PST) amewo k—a holis ic
axonomic app oach o unde s anding he cohe ence o DT (Monod e al. 2021;
Monod 2020)—we examined 22 whi e pape s, which p esen he consul ancies’
public discou se and p o ide he oppo uni y o a g ea e unde s anding o he DT
consul ing na a i es (Bowen 2009). Ou esul s e eal se e al blind spo s in he
consul ing DT dissemina ing discou se. While hei discou se ocuses on cus ome
cen ici y, holis ic assessmen s, and agile de elopmen me hods, i neglec s c u-
cial dimensions such as indus y and wo k o ce di e en ia ion, o mal o ganiza ion
ans o ma ion me hods, and echnological me hods and s uc u es. Ou s udy o e s
a h ee- old con ibu ion o he li e a u e on change managemen , managemen ideas,
and he b oade IS li e a u e on DT. Fi s , by e lec ing on he symbolic aspec s o
managemen ideas and consul ancy, we show ha leading consul ing i ms end o
dissemina e a he simplis ic, ambiguous, and gene ic discou se on he con empo-
a y managemen idea o DT. Second, we highligh he semblance o consul ing dis-
cou se on DT, despi e he pe cei ed need o s a egic di e en ia ion among con-
sul ancies. Thi d, ou wo k unde sco es he complexi y and ambigui y su ounding
DT, whe e o ganiza ions o en g apple wi h a ying in e p e a ions. This ambigui y
can lead o con usion, di e ing expec a ions, and di e se app oaches o DT imple-
men a ion ac oss indus ies and i ms. We ad oca e, he e o e, o app oaching DT
consul ing h ough he lens o a mo e holis ic amewo k ha conside s s uc u e,
pe o mance, and echnology, as DT impac s all aspec s o an o ganiza ion.
The pape is s uc u ed as ollows. Sec ion2 p o ides a b ie o e iew o he
li e a u e on managemen consul ing and managemen ideas and ashion. In Sec .3,
we p esen he esea ch design and me hod and he applica ion o he PST ame-
wo k o examining he DT consul ing discou se. In Sec .4 we discuss ou indings
by elucida ing blind spo s in he DT consul ancy discou ses, ollowed by he dis-
cussion o he ad-d i en and semblable consul ancy discou se on DT, dis ega ding
adap a ion o new condi ions posed by DT. In Sec s.5 and 6, we o e concluding
ema ks and sugges a enues o u u e s udies.
2 Theo e ical backg ound
2.1 Managemen consul ing
Managemen consul ing is a h i ing a ea o esea ch due o i s pi o al ole in o gan-
iza ions, whe e c i ical decisions a e o en guided by hese p ominen change agen s
(Bouwmees e e  al. 2022; Kipping and W igh 2012; O’Mahoney e  al. 2021;
S u dy 2023). Roo ed in di e se disciplines such as managemen , o ganiza ional
de elopmen , s a egy, and in o ma ion sys ems, managemen consul ing ep esen s
a he e ogeneous phenomenon cha ac e ized by con es ing de ini ions (Ki kpa ick
762
E.Monod e al.
e al. 2023; S u dy e al. 2021). This pape applies one o he ea ly de ini ions, con-
cei ing managemen consul ing as “ he p o essional se ice pe o med by specially
ained and expe ienced pe sons in helping manage s iden i y and sol e manage ial,
[economic,] and ope a ing p oblems o he a ious ins i u ions o ou socie y” (Hig-
don 1969: 306). In alignmen wi h his de ini ion, he ex an li e a u e con e ges on
he ole o managemen consul ing i ms, pa icula ly la ge and enowned consul an-
cies (A mb us e 2006), as knowledgeable solu ion-o ien ed expe s (S eningsson
e al. 2020) who le e age hei expe ise o assis clien s wi h acili a ing change,
sol ing unique p oblems, and p o iding legi imacy (McKenna 2006; O’Mahoney
2010).
In gene al, esea ch has no ed consul ancies as mechanisms o o ganiza ional and
socie al change (Pollock and Williams 2010), which has spa ked signi ican aca-
demic in e es in unde s anding hei ole and in luence (Kipping and Cla k 2012;
Kiese 1997; Bouwmees e e al. 2022). Howe e , he li e a u e on consul ing is
cha ac e ized by subs an i e con o e sy ega ding he ue na u e, dep h, and alue
o consul ing (A mb us e 2006; Ce u i e al. 2019; Nikolo a and De inney 2012).
On he one hand, he unc ionalis posi ion op imis ically s esses he knowledge-
based and helping na u e o he consul an –clien ela ionship, po aying consul ing
i ms as impo an change agen s and con ibu o s o signi ican economic g ow h
(Poul el e al. 2017; Suddaby and G eenwood 2001). On he o he hand, a c i ical
pe spec i e ocuses on he addish and symbolic na u e o consul ing (Cla k 2004;
Kühl 2020; We and S yhi e 2002). This c i ical s ance challenges he ac ual alue
o consul ing, sugges ing ha i c ea es an imp ession o alue by pushing s and-
a dized solu ions (Ash o d 1998) o , e en wo se, by c ea ing unnecessa y demand
among anxious clien s and gene a ing solu ions ela ed o he la es managemen
ads (A mb us e 2006; Collins 2004; Kiesle and Cummings 2002; Rø ik, 2019;
S u dy e al. 2021). This pape conside s hese opposing pe spec i es when assess-
ing how consul ing i ms publicly disclose hei unde s anding o and ad ice on DT.
2.2 Managemen ideas, ashions, and ads
One way o unde s anding he wa e o cu en in e es in DT among p ac i ione s,
esea che s, and consul an s is o label he ma e a “ ashion.” The heo e ical lens o
managemen ashions, ini ially concep ualized by Ab ahamson (1996: 257), iews
managemen ashion as “a ela i ely ansi o y collec i e belie , dissemina ed by
managemen ashion se e s [e.g., consul ing i ms], ha a managemen echnique
leads o a ional managemen p og ess.” O e he pas h ee decades, his heo y has
been ins umen al in explaining ansience, pe sis ence, and he o e all ajec o y
o di e en managemen and echnological ideas ( an G ins en e al., 2016), such
as Big Da a (Madsen and S enheim 2016), en e p ise esou ce planning sys ems
(Bende s e al. 2006), and Indus y 4.0 (Madsen 2019). No ably, hese ashionable
ideas do no only se e o ganiza ional ends and a ionali y; hey also p o ide legi i-
macy o anxious manage s (e.g., S u dy e al. 2019).
Theo iza ions o managemen ideas e ol e a ound language o discou se associ-
a ed wi h a pa icula idea mo e han he ac ual changes igge ed by i (Piazza and

763
Un eiling blind spo s inconsul ing i ms’ dissemina ing…
Ab ahamson 2020). Because o his, schola s o en examine ashions h ough on-
desk bibliome ic analysis and li e a u e e iews (Madsen and S enheim 2016; Mad-
sen 2019; Oes e eich e al. 2020). Following his adi ion, a bibliome ic analysis
sugges s ha DT does indeed quali y as a managemen ashion: a Scopus sea ch on
“DT” e eals an exponen ial publica ion g ow h since 2018, and a Google T end
sea ch (Madsen 2019) mi o s a simila popula i y dynamic o DT on he ashion
demand side (i.e., among use s) since 2017 (see Fig.1).
Wi hin he ashion-se ing communi ies (Ab ahamson 1991), managemen
consul ing i ms a e widely ega ded as “sup a-expe s” (S u dy e al. 2021) who
ac i ely p oduce and p opaga e managemen ideas (A mb us e 2006; Bouwmees e
e al. 2022; O’Mahoney 2010; Kipping and Cla k 2012). As ap ly no ed by Jung
and Kiese (2012), “ o speak abou managemen wi hou speaking abou ashions
seems o be as impossible as i is o speak abou ashions wi hou speaking abou
he consul ing indus y and i s emendous g ow h” (p. 328). Suddaby and G een-
wood (2001) simila ly asse ha he commodi ica ion o managemen knowledge—
i s codi ica ion and abs ac ion in o a packaged, po able, and comme cially iable
o m—p ima ily anspi es wi hin managemen consul ancies (Heusink eld 2014;
O’Mahoney e  al. 2021). These consul ancies gene a e and di use commodi ied
ashionable ideas because hey con ibu e o hei epu a ion as inno a i e knowl-
edge p o ide s (Kiesle and Cummings 2002) while simul aneously c ea ing demand
o hei se ices among manage s who end o be caugh in a “ icious cycle” o
managemen consul ing (Heusink eld 2014; Jung and Kiese 2012).
2.3 Fashion dissemina ing discou se o consul ing i ms
Echoing he c i ical iew on managemen consul ing, Jung and Kiese (2012)
pose an in ica e ques ion cen al o ou pape : “How can consul an s as ‘ a ional
expe s’ in a seemingly a ional business wo ld c ea e and os e ashions whose
implemen a ion is no only pa adoxical, bu pe haps migh no e en be easonable
o some ex en ?” (p.328). This ques ion e e s o he pa adoxical aspec o he
sp ead o managemen ideas, whe e hei adop ion may unc ion mo e as a sym-
bol o legi imacy a he han a a ge ed solu ion o speci ic o ganiza ional p ob-
lems. To add ess his ques ion, i is essen ial o del e in o an impo an b anch o
Fig. 1 Publica ions on “digi al ans o ma ion” in he pe iod 2000–2021 ( o he le ) (Sou ce:
Scopus. Sea ch s ing: TITLE-ABS-KEY (“digi al ans o ma ion”) AND (LIMIT-TO (DOC-
TYPE,“a ”))AND(LIMIT-TO(LANGUAGE,“English”)). Sea ch in e es on “Digi al ans o ma ion”
in he pe iod 2005–2022. (Sou ce: Google T ends)
764
E.Monod e al.
s udies on wha has been e med he ashion dissemina ing discou se o consul -
ing i ms (Bende s e al. 2019; Bi kinshaw e al. 2008; Rø ik, 2019; S u dy e al.
2019; an G ins en e al. 2020).
In a ecen li e a u e e iew (Piazza and Ab ahamson 2020), s essed he impo -
ance o esea ch on ashion discou se, depic ing how ashion se e s dissemina e
managemen ideas among po en ial use s. Consul ing i ms “push” new manage-
men ideas h ough a ious channels in an a emp o ge o ganiza ions o all s ipes
o adop hem (Ab ahamson 1996; Jung and Kiese 2012; Piazza and Ab ahamson
2020; Pollach 2021). These consul ancies p omo e hei business o ideas h ough
books (e.g., In Sea ch o Excellence (1982)), a icles in academic jou nals, business-
o ien ed newspape s, hei own jou nals (e.g., McKinsey Qua e ly), whi e pape s,
and pe iodic publica ions (e.g., Bain Insigh s, BCG Publica ions) (Engwall 2012).
T adi ionally, he dissemina ion and p omo ion o new managemen p ac ices hea -
ily elied on w i en o spoken language. Howe e , in con empo a y imes, consul -
an s inc easingly u ilize digi al pla o ms o p omo e hei new managemen ideas,
such as h ough whi e pape s on websi es and social media channels like Twi e and
LinkedIn (Madsen and Slå en 2015), o ia ideo s eaming se ices such as You-
Tube and TED alks (Piazza and Ab ahamson 2020).
Along wi h dissemina ion channels, esea ch a en ion has a ended o he “ he-
o ical ing edien s” o comme cially success ul ideas (Jung and Kiese 2012; S u dy
2017). Resea che s ha e iden i ied he ole o elemen s such as c ea ing a “bu n-
ing pla o m,” p omising pe o mance imp o emen s, e e encing known adop e s,
employing ca chy labels, and allowing o in e p e i e space (Bende s and Van Veen
2001; Kiese 1997), he la e o which e e ing o he ambigui y o p omo ed ideas
ha a e open o mul iple in e p e a ions, acili a ing hei wide applica ion ac oss
di e se con ex s (Bende s e al. 2019). Resea ch has sugges ed ha hese he o i-
cal elemen s (A mb us e 2006) appeal o manage s’ dis inc a ional, poli ical, and
psychological “needs,” he eby enhancing he iabili y o he consul ancies’ ideas
(Heusink eld 2014; S u dy e al. 2019).
Ne e heless, conside ing he in ensi ied compe i ion in he managemen consul -
ing ma ke , schola s sugges ha consul ing i ms migh ha e o adjus hei dissemi-
na ion discou ses by mo ing away om ague isions, all-emb acing “buzzwo ds,”
uni e sal concep s, and success s o ies o amous companies, owa ds mo e angi-
ble, implemen a ion-o ien ed he o ic (Be glund and We 2000; Bouwmees e e al.
2022; Jung and Kiese 2012; Nikolo a e al. 2009). Mo eo e , he ad en o digi-
al echnologies in he 1980s and 1990s, along wi h he ecen upsu ge o DT, has
necessi a ed ha consul ing on o ganiza ions could no longe be o e ed wi hou
le e aging IT expe ise (A mb us e 2006; Heusink eld and Bende s 2005; S u dy
2011). In his ega d, p e ious esea ch claims ha one o he mos impo an di ec-
ions o u u e esea ch conce ns he u u e o m and s uc u e by which manage-
men ashions a e dissemina ed by consul ancies (Be glund and We 2000; Bouw-
mees e e al. 2022; Ce u i e al. 2019; Jung and Kiese 2012; Nikolo a e al. 2009).
In his s udy, we ocus on he commodi ied o m o he DT idea, p esen ed in
publicly a ailable whi e pape s on DT by six leading consul ing i ms. Despi e
i s limi a ions, his o m o publica ion o e s cohe en isions, c ea es a demand
o consul ing se ices, and p o ides a “ oolbox” o guiding po en ial adop e s
765
Un eiling blind spo s inconsul ing i ms’ dissemina ing…
in unde s anding and implemen ing ashionable managemen ideas (Bende s and
Van Veen 2001; S u dy e al. 2019).
3 Me hod
This s udy adop s a quali a i e deduc i e app oach o explo e he dissemina ing
discou se on DT by leading managemen consul ancies. Such esea ch design is
ecommended when inqui ies e ol e based on he exis ing li e a u e o ame he
s udy o he da a (Yin 2014).
Ou esea ch p ocess e ol ed h ough se e al subsequen s ages in i s deduc-
i e hema ic app oach (A kinson and Co ey 2004; Bowen 2009; Jupp and No -
is 1993; Pea se 2019). The i s s age comp ises he de i a ion o a concep ual
amewo k om he li e a u e (Miles e al. 2014; Uysal and Tse u a 2015). We
e iewed p e ious li e a u e on DT dimensions (Vial 2019) and iden i ied he
PST amewo k—a holis ic axonomic app oach o unde s anding he cohe ence
o DT (see Fig.2)— ha was de eloped in he con ex o managemen consul ing
(Monod e al. 2021; Monod 2020). Below, we p o ide a de ailed p esen a ion o
he a ionale behind selec ing he PST amewo k and desc ibe i s dimensions.
The second s age equi ed elici ing p oposi ions om he ou lined analy ical
amewo k. As a esul , we de eloped a codebook g ounded in hese p oposi ions
(C ab ee and Mille 1992). Once he concep ual aming and coding ma ix was
es ablished, he da a was collec ed.
Fig. 2 The pe o mance-s uc u e- echnology amewo k o digi al ans o ma ion (Monod 2020;
Monod e al. 2021)
766
E.Monod e al.
4 Resea ch sample andda a analysis
This s udy examined he discou se on DT dissemina ed by leading in e na ional
managemen consul ing i ms. A ocus on la ge consul ancies as “ex eme cases”
(O’Mahoney and S u dy 2016) is heo e ically and empi ically insigh ul due o
hei unp eceden ed deg ee o in luence o e business o ganiza ions (McKenna
2006; S u dy 2011; Suddaby and G eenwood 2001). These majo playe s in he
consul ing ma ke use hei b and, ex ensi e inancial and human esou ces, b oad
indus ial ne wo ks, o ganiza ional e ec i eness, and a “one- i m” go e nance
model o e ec i ely package, dissemina e, and ansla e managemen ideas (A m-
b us e 2006; McDonald 2013; O’Mahoney and S u dy 2016). Consequen ly, hey
es ablish he legi imacy and imeliness o hei discou se (Kipping and Wes e -
huis 2014), he eby a ac ing and shaping clien s (Al esson and Robe son 2006;
Nikolo a e al. 2009), including many Fo une Global 500 co po a ions and go -
e nmen agencies (Boussebaa e al. 2012). No leas , such consul ing i ms o en
de e mine “ ashion ends,” such as DT, ac oss o ganiza ions (Piazza and Ab a-
hamson 2020; Wang 2010).
In his s udy, we g ounded ou sample selec ion a ionale o managemen con-
sul ing i ms wi h wo dimensions: e enue and p es ige. Fi ms selec ed based on
e enue ep esen ma ke leade s in e ms o inancial pe o mance, while hose
chosen o hei p es ige a e indus y leade s in e ms o epu a ion and pe cei ed
excellence. Fi s , based on he da a om 2019, we analyzed he wo ld’s h ee
la ges managemen consul ing i ms by ac ual consul ing e enue a he han
o e all e enue: Accen u e (USD 17.3 billion), Capgemini (USD 15.5 billion),
and Ta a Consul ing Se ices (USD 14.9 billion) (Consul ing.com 2020). Second,
we iden i ied he h ee bes s a egic consul ing i ms in e ms o p es ige, a ank-
ing composed by p ac icing consul an s de e mining which i ms a e conside ed
he mos p es igious by hose in he indus y. McKinsey, BCG, and Bain & Com-
pany—o en e e ed o as “The Big Th ee” (S u dy 2023)—a e h ee consul ing
i ms ha led he ank o consul ancies by p es ige in 2019–2021 (Consul ing.
com 2020; Maldonado 2021).
A e iden i ying he sample, we u he del ed in o he selec ion o ou da a
se . P e ious s udies ha e emphasized ha managemen ashion in he consul ing
con ex , speci ically in la ge consul ing i ms, is a di icul a ea o esea ch, as
i s subjec ma e is comme cially and e hically sensi i e and sec e i e (Bousse-
baa e al. 2012; O’Mahoney and S u dy 2016; S ang and Wi ock, 2019; S u dy
2009; S u dy 2017). The e o e, in line wi h he p e ious s udies explo ing ash-
ions based on public exposés o ashion se e s’ discou se (O’Mahoney 2011;
Pollach 2021), ou da a comp ises managemen consul ing i ms’ ex -based
epo s o whi e pape s on DT. Whi e pape s a e b ie epo s ha p o ide in o -
ma ion abou a speci ic opic. Managemen consul ing i ms c a whi e pape s o
explain issues o in e es o po en ial clien s. Tha is, he consul ancies posi ion
hemsel es as expe s who unde s and cu en and u u e p oblems in business
and who a e p epa ed o p o ide solu ions o hose p oblems. While hese whi e
pape s a e neu al in one, as in no o e ly p omo ing he consul ancies, and
773
Un eiling blind spo s inconsul ing i ms’ dissemina ing…
Table 2 Pe o mance dimension o he PST amewo k
Accen u e Capgemini Ta a McKinsey BCG Bain
Pe o mance Hype -compe i i e-
ness
Fea o p essu e
om s a - ups:
“A acking adi-
ional ma ke s”
(Accen u e
2016b: 4)
No men ion Ci es 70% o
Ame ican Banke
Execu i e o um
membe s no ing
“compe i i e p es-
su e” as he main
d i e o hei
mobile ini ia i es
(Ta a Consul ancy
Se ices 2013)
No men ion No men ion Focus on he “wild
en i onmen ” wi h
new i als and
“digi al dis up-
o s” (Bain &
Company 2018:
17) This compe i-
i e en i onmen
c ea es a challenge
o “ emain com-
pe i i e” (Bain &
Company 2021: 7)

774
E.Monod e al.
Table 2 (con inued)
Accen u e Capgemini Ta a McKinsey BCG Bain
Holis ic Pe o -
mance Sys em
No men ion 5 me ics:
p oduc i i y,
educed cos , as
implemen a ion,
cus ome alue,
and labo p oduc-
i i y
Men ions “holis ic
digi al s a egy”
in DT (Ta a Con-
sul ancy Se ices
2013)
1 me ic: Cos
educ ion “Suc-
ceeding wi h
a DT equi es
cu ing budge s
o legacy ope a-
ions” (McKinsey,
2017b: 6)
2 me ics: Cos
educ ion and
close ela ionship
wi h cus ome s
The e is a need o
new pe o mance
me ics in addi ion
o “ adi ional
ou come me ics”
(Bain & Company
2018: 36). In addi-
ion o he key pe -
o mance me ics o
“deploymen o he
digi al solu ion,”
pape s ocus on
business and cus-
ome sa is ac ion
(Bain & Company
2018; Bain & Com-
pany 2019; Bain &
Company and he
Wo ld Economic
Fo um, 2018)
775
Un eiling blind spo s inconsul ing i ms’ dissemina ing…
Table 2 (con inued)
Accen u e Capgemini Ta a McKinsey BCG Bain
Cus ome Cen ici y Ex ensi e ocus on
he cus ome in all
ways: expe ience,
e en ion, a ac-
ion, e c
Iden i ied as he
mos impo an
ac o “Ins ead
o hinking abou
inding cus ome s
o hei p oduc s
and solu ions,
ma ke e s need
o hink abou
inding p oduc s
and solu ions o
hei cus ome s”
(Capgemini 2017:
11)
Emphasizes impo -
ance o cus ome s
(Ta a Consul ancy
Se ices 2013,
2018)
Iden i ied as he
mos impo -
an ac o “so
much needs o
change. Focus
on cus ome
needs a he
han p ocess and
p ocedu e, con-
inuous cus ome
eedback, com o
wi h es ing and
lea ning and
hence wi h occa-
sional ailu e, and
collabo a ion—all
a e i al” (McK-
insey, 2017a: 8)
Iden i ied as he
mos impo an
ac o “companies
lis cus ome -
acing ini ia i es
such as digi al
ma ke ing among
hei op business
goals o ans o -
ma ion” (Bos on
Consul ing G oup,
2020b: 1)
DT mus d i e
“ eal alue o
he cus ome ”
(Bain & Company
and he Wo ld
Economic Fo um,
2018: 2). This
equi es “imp o ed
cus ome engage-
men ,” including a
ocus on cus ome
di e en ia ion (i.e.,
adi ional s. ech-
sa y cus ome s)
and us om he
cus ome (Bain &
Company 2021:
4), and “ edis-
co e ing” “ aw”
cus ome needs o
digi al p oduc s
and se ices (Bain
& Company 2021:
5). All pape s
ocus on cus ome -
cen ic design,
e hnog aphic co-
de elopmen , and
a combina ion o
physical and digi al
expe iences
776
E.Monod e al.
Table 3 Con ex s o he hype -compe i ion dimension o he PST amewo k
Accen u e Capgemini Ta a McKinsey BCG Bain
Con ex Di e en ia ion by
indus y
Se e al indus ies a e
men ioned wi hou
clea di e en ia ion
o he app oach
No dis inc ion No dis inc ion No dis inc ion Impac on se e al
indus ies is men-
ioned bu di e en-
ia ion is missing
Main di e en ia ion
be ween “digi al
dis up o s” e sus
“incumben s” (Bain
& Company 2018;
Bain & Company
2021; Bain & Com-
pany 2019). Despi e
p o iding a my iad o
examples, he e is no
speci ic di e en ia-
ion o DT app oach
by indus y
777
Un eiling blind spo s inconsul ing i ms’ dissemina ing…
Table 3 (con inued)
Accen u e Capgemini Ta a McKinsey BCG Bain
Di e en ia ion by age
and size
Di e en ia ion by
sizes and ages e e s
o ocus on how
olde , es ablished
companies need o
hu y up and ans-
o m hemsel es
digi ally
Focus on la ge
o ganiza ions, “In
his epo we sha e
he indings om a
global s udy o how
157 execu i es in
50 la ge adi ional
companies a e
managing —and
bene i ing om—
DT” (Capgemini
2011: 5)
No dis inc ion B ie ly men ioned:
“While a digi al
s a - up can dis up
he ma ke , legacy
companies shouldn’
unde alue hei
own compe i i e
asse s o make he
mis ake o hink-
ing he dis up o s
ha e all he ca ds”
(McKinsey 2016: 1)
B ie ly men ioned:
“La ge compa-
nies hold a lo o
ca ds— including
esou ces, asse s,
ela ionships,
and da a— hose
smalle compe i-
o s equen ly do
no ha e enough
o . Bu hey o en
do no undamen-
ally e hink hei
business model.
Only a ely do hey
launch any hing ha
migh a ack he
cu en business”
(Bos on Consul ing
G oup, 2015: 3)
Main di e en ia ion
be ween new “digi al
dis up o s” s. old
and la ge “incum-
ben s” (Bain & Com-
pany 2018; Bain &
Company 2021; Bain
& Company 2019)
Di e en ia ion by
s a us (s a e- owned/
p i a e)
No dis inc ion No dis inc ion No dis inc ion No dis inc ion B ie ly men ioned:
“19% o s a e-
owned companies
see digi al echnol-
ogy as dis up i e—
whe e i is 38% o
no s a e- owned
companies” (Bos on
Consul ing G oup,
2020b: 2)
No dis inc ion
778
E.Monod e al.
he ine iciency o adi ional his o ical pe o mance me ics, and BCG, Capgemini,
and Bain highligh he impo ance o cus ome sa is ac ion: “P io i ies need o be
se based on he a eas—cus ome alue, e enues, cos posi ion, e c.—whe e digi i-
za ion is likely o ha e he mos posi i e impac ” (Capgemini 2011: 36). Cus ome
sa is ac ion, as also discussed below, can no longe be neglec ed h oughou compa-
nies’ DT as i ep esen s a sou ce o compe i i i y by di ec ly and indi ec ly pushing
companies owa d inno a ion. Howe e , none o he consul ing i m epo s add ess
he impo ance o lexibili y compa ed o p oduc i i y o sugges socio-economic
app oaches o managemen and hidden cos s.
5.1.3 Cus ome cen ici y
Whe eas cus ome cen ici y is claimed by all six consul ing i ms as he mos
impo an ac o o conside in he o ganiza ional DT jou ney, none o hem elabo-
a e on he concep ualiza ion o he consequences o his phenomenon, beyond p ox-
ies ca ching he cus ome expe ience by da a analy ics o o co-c ea ion by McK-
insey: “A ocus on cus ome needs a he han p ocess and p ocedu e, con inuous
cus ome eedback, com o wi h es ing and lea ning and hence wi h occasional
ailu e, and collabo a ion—all a e i al” (McKinsey, 2017a: 8). Bain accen ua es
he alue o cus ome -cen ic design and p oduc and se ice co-de elopmen ha
equi e edisco e ing “ aw” cus ome needs. Howe e , none o he consul ancies
e lec on he equi emen s o in eg a ion o di e en de ices, unc ions, da a, and
s akeholde s in o sys ems o alue co-c ea ion o o shi ing om p oduc -se ice
o e ings owa d usage-based alue.
5.2 Dimension: s uc u es
Table4 p esen s he main esul s ela ed o he s uc u al dimension: wo k o ce di -
e en ia ion, o ganiza ional ans o ma ion me hods, and BPI.
5.2.1 Wo k o ce di e en ia ion
Consul ing i ms iden i y a he ague ideas such as “ es and lea n p ac ices”
(McKinsey 2019: 4), “new digi al oles” (Ta a Consul ancy Se ices 2018) o
“doe s e sus d eame s” (Bain & Company 2018; Bain & Company 2019). None o
hem e e o he concep s o wo k o ce di e en ia ion o he placemen o A-playe s
in A-posi ions.
5.2.2 O ganiza ion cul u e ans o ma ion
Whe eas all consul ing i ms claim he need o adi ional o ganiza ional ans-
o ma ion, none o hem compa e he di e en me hods o doing so. The ideas
ela ed o o ganiza ional issues oscilla e be ween a s a us o “ oo e ical, oo slow”
(Capgemini 2017: 10), equi ing a ague “con inuous change moni o ing” (Accen-
u e 2016b: 33), and “collabo a ion ac oss a b oade ecosys em c ea [ing] new

779
Un eiling blind spo s inconsul ing i ms’ dissemina ing…
Table 4 S uc u es dimension o he PST amewo k
Accen u e Capgemini Ta a McKinsey BCG Bain
S uc u es Wo k o ce di e en-
ia ion
B ie men ions o
HR
B ie ly men ion HR
h ough upskilling.
“This upskilling
plan is a join
e o wi h ou
HR depa men
and ou in e nal
business pa ne s”
(Capgemini 2019:
70)
P omo e “machine
i s app oach” o
se up employees
o “new oles”
(Ta a Consul ancy
Se ices 2018)
Men ion ewa ds
and aining:
“employees a e
mo e likely o be
ewa ded o gen-
e a ing new ideas,
aking app op ia e
isks, and ollow-
ing es and-lea n
p ac ices as hey
pu sue oppo uni-
ies” (McKinsey
2019: 4)
Men ion encou ag-
ing incen i es:
“A company’s
o ganiza ion and
cul u e mus also
suppo DT, wi h
s uc u es, go e n-
ance, and incen-
i es ha p omo e
speed, isk aking,
and expe imen a-
ion” (Bos on
Consul ing G oup,
2015: 1)
All pape s ocus on
alen managemen
(“ he wa o alen ”
(Bain & Company
and he Wo ld
Economic Fo um,
2018: 27; Bain &
Company 2018: 27)
and HR manage-
men , such as new
HR s a egies o
c oss- unc ional and
agile deploymen ,
suppo ing winne s.
Bain (2018: 28) also
a gues o employee
segmen a ion
o di e en ia ed
alue p oposi-
ions and “doe s”
e sus “d eame s”
di e en ia ion. DT
s a egy should be
co-de eloped wi h
digi al leade s/digi-
al “ambassado s”
(Bain & Company
2018: 3)
780
E.Monod e al.
Table 4 (con inued)
Accen u e Capgemini Ta a McKinsey BCG Bain
O ganiza ional
ans o ma ion
me hods
Men ioned once in
each documen .
“con inuous
change” (Accen-
u e 2016b),
“jou ney manage-
men ” (Accen u e
2016a), and “a oid
b u al es uc u -
ing; lea n heal hy
disengagemen ”
(Accen u e 2018)
Men ioned indi-
ec ly h ough
co-cons uc ion,
eamwo k, and
ac i e pa icipa-
ion: “when ocus-
ing on cus ome
issues, you need
he ac i e pa ici-
pa ion o he Ma -
ke ing, Sales and
IT o ganiza ions.
Simila ly, he HR
depa men mus
also be in ol ed,
gi en he impo -
ance o he people
dimension in DT.
DT equi es a mix
o skills which a e
o en sca e ed”
(Capgemini 2017:
10)
Lays ou “c i ical
ac i i ies” o
implemen a ion
o o ganiza ional
ans o ma ion
(Ta a Consul ancy
Se ices 2013)
Recommend mo e
open, new codes
Suppo in e nal and
ex e nal collabo a-
ion
O ganiza ional and
cul u al ans o ma-
ion is discussed as
a co e elemen o
DT, as well as he
mos challenging
elemen (Bain &
Company 2018).
Bain accen u-
a es he essence
o lexibili y,
agili y, empowe -
ing he on -line,
new app oach o
eamwo k, as well
as mul i- ace ed
s a egic app oach
(Bain & Company
2018; Bain & Com-
pany and he Wo ld
Economic Fo um,
2018). Besides,
pape s accen ua e
he need o new
ways o wo king
and “decision-mak-
ing” and pa ne ship
and collabo a ion
(Bain & Company
2018: 23)
781
Un eiling blind spo s inconsul ing i ms’ dissemina ing…
Table 4 (con inued)
Accen u e Capgemini Ta a McKinsey BCG Bain
Business p ocess
inno a ion
No sys ema ic BPI
app oach
No sys ema ic BPI
app oach
No sys ema ic BPI
app oach, hough
he e is a men ion
o he need o a
new one o suppo
new p oduc s and
se ices (Ta a
Consul ancy
Se ices 2018)
No sys ema ic BPI
app oach
No sys ema ic BPI
app oach
No sys ema ic BPI
app oach
782
E.Monod e al.
oppo uni ies o add ess consume needs” (Bos on Consul ing G oup, 2020a). How-
e e , companies a e le alone when i comes o he ques ion o which me hod o use
o implemen hese equi ed o ganiza ional changes.
5.2.3 Business p ocess inno a ion
Al hough he impo ance o c oss-depa men collabo a ion is highligh ed by McK-
insey (2017b: 4) and Capgemini (2017: 10), consul ing i ms do no elabo a e on he
way me hods such as BPI may sol e his issue. Bain emphasizes he essence o lex-
ibili y, agili y, empowe ing he on -line, a new app oach o eamwo k (e.g., agile,
hyb id analy ics), as well as a mul i- ace ed s a egic app oach (i.e., “Today o wa d
and u u e back,” long- e m wa es and sho - e m s eppings ones). All he consul-
ancies assume a di ec ela ionship be ween digi al echnologies and he p oblem-
sol ing o hese o ganiza ional issues leading o pe o mance, he e o e bypassing
he ques ion o o ganiza ional ans o ma ion h ough BPI.
5.3 Dimension: echnologies
Tables5, 6, and 7 depic he echnology dimension o consul ancies’ DT app oach
by deb ie ing hei ocus on echnological in as uc u e, en e p ise a chi ec u e, and
de elopmen me hods.
5.3.1 Technological in as uc u e
Based on ou analyses, consul ing i ms only b ie ly and spo adically men ion ech-
nological in as uc u e (see Table5). Possessing he co e compe encies o imple-
men ing echnological in as uc u e is necessa y o execu e companies’ DT success-
ully. Fo ins ance, SOA is b ie ly men ioned by Accen u e (2016b) while discussing
a ious echnologies: “Technology (SOA, APIs, social ne wo ks, in as uc u e, and
secu i y)…” (p. 26). Rega ding cloud se ices, SaaS applica ions a e sugges ed by
Capgemini when discussing he implemen a ion o new echnologies o he success
o DT: “A medical de ice sales o ce is eplacing in-pe son in e ac ions wi h digi-
al in e ac ions. When isi ing a doc o ’s o ice, a salespe son lea es an iPad wi h
ideo and o he in o ma ion on new p oduc s. The aim is o ge he doc o ’s a en ion
and gain a 10-min con e sa ion when he salespe son e u ns o e ie e he iPad”
(Capgemini 2011: 18). While IaaS echnology is no men ioned, Capgemini (2019)
e e s o PaaS se ice: “… a cloud pla o m o de elop machine lea ning and da a
analy ics ha help wi h ope a ional imp o emen s and making be e da a-d i en
decisions” (p. 29). Ta a s esses ha he be e unde lying applica ions adhe e o he
SOA concep , he easie i is o y new ideas on social and mobile in e ac ion. How-
e e , none o he consul ing i ms ela e ei he SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, o SOE o pe o -
mance. This shows ha he consul ancies lis he s eps o a DT wi hou ackling he
echnological in as uc u e in de ail.
789
Un eiling blind spo s inconsul ing i ms’ dissemina ing…
lens o he PST amewo k, his s udy p o ides insigh s in o he dissemina ion o
he managemen idea o DT (Piazza and Ab ahamson 2020) in p ac i ione -o ien ed
discou se communi ies o managemen consul ing. Al hough any holis ic amewo k
may be conside ed as somewha subjec i e, i s alue elies in i s ele ance o high-
ligh ing key dimensions ha may be neglec ed in mo e educ ionis app oaches such
as a iance analysis. In his pape , he PST amewo k b ings o ligh a numbe o
blind spo s in he DT consul ing na a i e.
Despi e he claimed u gency o ashion se e s o ansi o mo e con ex -spe-
ci ic discou ses (Jung and Kiese 2012; Nikolo a e al. 2009; Be glund and We
2000; Bouwmees e e al. 2022), ou indings indica e ha consul ing i ms appea
o ope a e unde he assump ion o DT uni e sal applicabili y, i espec i e o
di e se cul u al and ins i u ional se ings. While hey di ec some a en ion owa d
he speci ics o Small and Medium En e p ises (SMEs) and manu ac u ing compa-
nies, he p e ailing consul ing discou se on DT desc ibes companies as high- ech,
la ge, highly digi alized, and p ojec -o ien ed, such as elecommunica ions, so -
wa e o pha maceu ical, whe e DT success s o ies a e p e alen . Addi ionally, ou
esul s unde sco e he missing ocus on hype -compe i ion and ambidex e i y as new
o ganiza ional o ms in he DT consul ing discou se. These indings align wi h p io
c i icism o consul ancies o exploi ing he in e p e i e space o ideas (Bende s and
Van Veen 2001) and hei p omo ion wi hou con ex ual conside a ions (S u dy e al.
2019; S u dy 2017).
Ano he blind spo in he DT consul ing discou se pe ains o he lack o a con-
cep ualiza ion o pe o mance beyond he ealms o cos sa ings o cus ome sa is-
ac ion. DT equi es conside a ion o hype -compe i ion (D’A eni 1994), he s udy
o pe sis en “disequilib ium” in he s a e o compe i ion b ough by globaliza ion
and echnological ad ances ha o ce o ganiza ions o os e dynamic capabili ies
o inno a ion (Teece 2007). Hype -compe i ion analysis highligh s he ansla ion
in o a shi om e iciency o inno a ion and om sus ainable compe i i e ad an-
age o ansien compe i i e ad an age (Rindo a and Ko ha 2001) wi h a mo e
holis ic pe o mance managemen ha akes conce ns like hidden cos s in o accoun
(Sa all and Za de 2008). Mo eo e , whe eas mos o he consul ing i ms s ess
he impo ance o cus ome cen ici y, hey neglec o desc ibe dimensions o i in
hei whi e pape s, such as he necessi y o in eg a e di e en de ices, unc ions,
da a, and s akeholde s in o sys ems o alue co-c ea ion (S ahn e al. 2017) and he
shi om p oduc -se ice o e ings owa d usage-based alue (Scha e e al. 2015).
Hence, he concep s employed by consul ing i ms o pe o mance analysis, includ-
ing hype -compe i ion, holis ic pe o mance managemen , and cus ome cen ici y,
seem o lag behind ad ances in change managemen esea ch.
Ou esul s u he show ha he consul ancies’ blind spo s a e mo e p ominen
a he indi idual and o ganiza ional le el in he analysis o he s uc u es. Al hough
leading managemen consul ancies a e known o p opaga ing human- ela ed con-
cep s such as “ he wa o alen s” (O’Mahoney and S u dy 2016), ou documen
analysis e eals a lack o a en ion o wo k o ce di e en ia ion in DT. Mo eo e ,
whe eas all consul ing i ms claim he need o adi ional o ganiza ional ans o -
ma ion, hey o e look he ele ance o di e en me hods o DT (e.g., To al Qual-
i y Managemen , Six Sigma, Lean, O ganiza ion De elopmen , o Business P ocess

790
E.Monod e al.
Reenginee ing) and bypass he ques ion o o ganiza ion cul u e ans o ma ion
hough Business P ocess Imp o emen .
I makes sense ha he hi d dimension o he PST amewo k ecei es mo e
a en ion in a DT con ex han he p e ious ones o pe o mance and s uc u es.
Howe e , despi e he asse ed u gency o ocus on he in e play o o ganiza ion,
s a egy, and echnology in consul ancies’ discou se (A mb us e 2006; Pollock and
Williams 2010), ou esul s indica e ha echnologies emain ambiguous and ag-
men ed in consul ancy epo s. Fo ins ance, while Accen u e, Ta a, and Capgemini
b ie ly men ion SOA, SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS solu ions, none o he consul ancies
ela e echnological in as uc u e o pe o mance. Simila ly, mos o he consul ing
i ms me ely unde sco e he impo ance o da a, wi hou adequa ely conside ing he
link o EA, IT in as uc u e, and IT capabili ies (Ross 2003).
Hence, ou esul s indica e ha he six leading consul ing i ms ha e an oppo u-
ni y o u he cla i y and elabo a e on essen ial componen s, such as business a chi-
ec u e, da a a chi ec u e, applica ion a chi ec u e, and IT in as uc u e. Simila ly,
al hough he las componen o he echnology dimension, de elopmen me hods,
seems o ecei e mo e consul ing a en ion, he DT consul ing discou se ocuses on
using agile me hodologies, a he han dis inguishing be ween hese me hods and
adi ional IS de elopmen ones, o e aining a ocus on people, p o o yping, docu-
men a oidance and cus ome cen ici y o ob aining as e and mo e ele an ou -
comes (Fowle and Highsmi h 2001). When hey add ess echnology, he consul-
ancies appea o use e ms ha a e a ac i e due o hei cu ency in business bu
wi hou he cla i y o unde s anding wha hose e ms migh mean o how use ul
hose echnology migh be o pa icula cus ome s. This ambigui y in he echnol-
ogy dimension can po en ially os e skep icism (Heusink eld 2014) among ash-
ion adop e s and hampe he ansla ion o DT in he local con ex (Rø ik, 2019).
Tha is, while i would no be expec ed ha all consul ancies would p o ide uni ied
ad ice conce ning how o manage echnology in he con ex o DT, hei app oaches
need o become mo e ocused and mo e speci ic.
These indings ega ding he consul ancies’ blind spo s sugges ha while he is-
ibili y o DT (Engwall e al. 2016; S u dy e al. 2019) has indeed inc eased in e ms
o i s exposu e ia digi al channels, i s in e nal isibili y (i.e., he idea’s essence
and cla i y) emains limi ed, ma ked by ambigui y and gaps. The cu en consul ing
DT dissemina ing discou se leads o a iew ha DT is a b oad philosophy ha is
challenging o ansla e (Rø ik, 2019). This ambigui y can ul ima ely add o clien
unce ain y a he han educe i (Peme e al. 2018; S u dy e al. 2021).
Along wi h he iden i ied ambigui y and b oad in e p e i e space o DT in he
consul ing epo s (Ansa i e al. 2010; Bende s and Van Veen 2001), ou indings
also b ing o ligh he semblance o he DT consul ing discou se. Gi en he g ow-
ing demand om consume s, in ensi ied compe i ion in he managemen consul ing
ma ke (S u dy 2017; Suddaby and G eenwood 2001), he he e ogenei y in consul -
an s’ backg ounds and specializa ion (Heusink eld 2014), he inc easing manage ial
skep icism owa ds ague managemen ideas (Jung and Kiese 2012; Nikolo a e al.
2009) and he need o “de- ashion” hei dissemina ing discou se (Piazza and Ab a-
hamson 2020), i would be easonable o expec ha leading consul ancies need o
di e en ia e hei app oaches o dissemina ing DT. Su p isingly, ou indings do no
791
Un eiling blind spo s inconsul ing i ms’ dissemina ing…
e eal any disce nible dis inc ions be ween he leading consul ing i ms’ discou se
and app oach o DT (Boussebaa e al. 2012). Ins ead, ou esul s sugges ha he
managemen consul ing discou se on DT a e no ably semblable, simila ly dissemi-
na ing gene al concep s, success s o ies, and buzzwo ds.
Conside ing he addishness, semblance, and he p esence o mul iple blind
spo s, his s udy sugges s ha he success o DT migh hinge upon skill ul manage-
men and a icula ion o he nine dimensions o he PST amewo k ha a e a ely
desc ibed on a holis ic le el by consul ing i ms.
6.1 Theo e ical implica ions
Ou indings hold b oade implica ions o heo y. Fi s , his s udy con ibu es o he
li e a u e on change managemen , on managemen ideas (Kühl 2020; Rø ik, 2019;
an G ins en e al. 2020), and he b oade li e a u e on DT. I illumina es he unde -
explo ed landscape o dissemina ing discou se on DT wi hin he ealm o manage-
men consul ing. In con as wi h he op imis ic unc ionalis iew on managemen
consul ing (Suddaby and G eenwood 2001; Poul el e al. 2017) and DT (K aus e al.
2022), his s udy p o ides c i ical insigh s in o he na u e o he managemen idea o
DT and managemen consul ing on DT (Cla k 2004; Kühl 2020; We and S yhi e
2002). While p io schola s ha e called o a e hinking o addish consul ing he -
o ic (Kiesle and Cummings 2002; O’Mahoney 2010; S u dy 2011), ou esea ch
sugges s ha managemen consul ing i ms, pa adoxically, con inue o dissemina e
simplis ic and gene al solu ions o he la es managemen ashions such as DT in
hei publica ions. Since his s udy demons a es ha he DT dissemina ion consul -
ing discou se aligns wi h he c i ical iew on managemen consul ing (A mb us e
2006; Bende s e al. 1998), i sugges s ha consul ancies ha e an oppo uni y o
e ine he cla i y and in e nal isibili y o DT. This would help ensu e ha he label
mo e accu a ely e lec s i s con en s and ha he p omised solu ions a e ully eal-
ized (Bende s e al. 2019).
Second, ou s udy ad ances he li e a u e on managemen consul ing and man-
agemen ashions and ideas (S u dy e  al. 2021) by b inging in o he ocus he
semblance o consul ing discou se on DT, whe e consul ancies dissemina e simi-
la discou se on managemen ideas like DT, o en lacking disce nable di e en ia-
ion be ween hem and exhibi ing simila blind spo s. The absence o heo e ical o
empi ical examina ion o he (non-)di e en ia ion o consul ancy discou se is a he
su p ising (O’Mahoney e al. 2021), gi en he exponen ial g ow h in he consump-
ion and popula i y o managemen ideas, along wi h he ie ce compe i ion among
consul ancies (S ang e al. 2014; S u dy 2017; S u dy e al. 2019).
The s a egy pe spec i e on managemen consul ing sugges s ha he manage-
men consul ing i ms’ s a egic posi ion and di e en ia ion a e c i ical o secu ing
hei compe i i e ad an age (A mb us e 2006; Po e 1985). Conside ing ha con-
sul ancies ope a e in a s ongly s a i ied cus ome -d i en ma ke , he s a egic di -
e en ia ion and a deg ee o “b anding” and uniqueness in he global ma ke place
can signal hei quali y, eliabili y, associa ion wi h a pa icula idea (Suddaby and
G eenwood 2001). Such dis inc i eness can subsequen ly imp o e he consul ancies’
792
E.Monod e al.
imp ession and epu a ion, which guide clien s’ pu chase decisions (A mb us e
2006).
Ne e heless, ou s udy e eals ha he discou se o leading managemen con-
sul ing i ms aligns mo e wi h he neo-ins i u ional pe spec i e on managemen
consul ing, whe e in complex and unce ain con ex s he e is p essu e o main ain
no ms (Hassandous e al. 2022). This p essu e migh cause he consul ancies o
elucida e he semblance o hei discou se, wi h no disce nible di e en ia ion by
b and, cul u e, o his o y. The ques ion he e o e a ises: why do leading consul ing
i ms ollow a mime ic app oach o DT? We can hypo hesize he impo ance o an
eli is elemen , whe ein ollowing and dissemina ing a semblable discou se on DT
allows consul ancies o collec i ely main ain hei s a us in epu a ion ankings, se -
ing hem apa om lowe ma ke s and ensu ing secu e deals wi h high-s a us cli-
en s. Mo eo e , di e en ia ion could be isky, gi en ha commodi ied knowledge
is easily imi able by compe i o s (Suddaby and G eenwood 2001). By spo ligh ing
he addishness, ambigui y, and semblance inhe en in DT dissemina ing discou se,
he e o e, his s udy no only enhances ou comp ehension o he di usion o a spe-
ci ic managemen idea o DT bu also con ibu es o ou c i ical unde s anding o
he ole played by speci ic ac o s—leading managemen consul ancies—in he b oad
p ocess o dissemina ing managemen ideas.
Thi d, his pape con ibu es o he IS li e a u e and li e a u e on change manage-
men by un eiling and discussing blind spo s in DT consul ing and a guing o a
mo e holis ic DT consul ing app oach aligned wi h he PST amewo k. Fink and
Knoblach (2017) a gue ha he c i ical esea ch on managemen ideas “nei he
add esses he e ec i eness o managemen consul ing no aims o imp o e he suc-
cess o (change) in e en ions” (p. 588). Mo eo e , ela i ely ew models o DT
comp ehensi ely conside he mul i ace ed aspec s o he business en i onmen
(Teece and Linden 2017), o ganiza ional s uc u e (Fe ig e  al. 2018), and ech-
nology (Bo deleau and Ca s en 2019). The PST amewo k can pa ly b idge hese
gaps, as i ad oca es o a mo e holis ic, angible, and p agma ic app oach o man-
agemen ashions (Hi schheim e al., 2012; Rø ik, 2019), emphasizing he need o
link change managemen wi h o he disciplines such as o ganiza ion s udies, ope a-
ion managemen , s a egic managemen , HR, and in o ma ion sys ems. Impo an ly,
as he bounda y be ween s a egy consul ing and IT ad ice blu s, consul ing ad ice
becomes highly dependen on IT skills equi ed o consul ing i ms o keep pace
wi h echnological ad ancemen s. The e o e, aligned wi h he wo k o Ghosh e al.
(2023), his s udy ad oca es o he alue o holis ic in eg a ion o all he elemen s
wi hin he h ee indispensable pilla s—pe o mance, s uc u e, and echnology—
in oduced by he PST amewo k in he consul ancies’ app oaches o and hei dis-
semina ing discou se on DT. The holis ic in eg a ion o hese dimension and ele-
men s in he DT consul ing discou se aligns wi h he wo k o Ma e al. (2015) who
claim ha , in o de o ensu e a success ul DT, companies should align i wi h o he
unc ional and ope a ional componen s.
793
Un eiling blind spo s inconsul ing i ms’ dissemina ing…
6.2 P ac ical implica ions
Tu ning o he p ac ical implica ions o ou s udy, ou indings a e pa icula ly alu-
able o companies, consul an s, and o he ac o s implemen ing o in e es ed in DT.
Fi s , in ligh o he high ailu e a es o DT, i is e iden ha DT echoes a co e
challenge in he ield o managemen ashions: ideas con inue o be widely dissem-
ina ed and ecognized as ambiguous and o en lacking ma e ial ou comes (Bend-
e s and Van Veen 2001; Walke e al. 2015), ul ima ely esul ing in c i ique and
skep icism. The p e alen end o adop ing a semblable and ambiguous consul -
ing app oach, as obse ed in hei discou se on DT, necessi a es a e alua ion o
consul ancies’ app oaches o DT. The e is a need o a mo e di e en ia ed, holis ic,
and conc e e app oach o DT ha accu a ely delinea es he subs ance and alue o
ashionable ideas. This app oach should encompass a ho ough conside a ion o pe -
o mance, s uc u al, and echnological aspec s, he eby p o iding a comp ehensi e
unde s anding o DT’s and o he managemen ideas’ po en ial impac .
Second, o add ess he challenges posed by he cu en discou se on DT, o gani-
za ions and consul ancies migh conside applying he PST amewo k. Ou ind-
ings indica e ha applying he PST amewo k in DT change managemen endea o s
migh be mo e likely o lead o a holis ic conside a ion o expec ed pe o mance
imp o emen s, hype -compe i i eness, hidden cos s, and usage-based alue. To
es ablish DT as an o ganiza ional ans o ma ion, change agen s migh also be
ad ised o emphasize he pi o al ole o people in ol ed in DT and selec he mo e
ele an o ganiza ional ans o ma ion me hods acco dingly. E en ually, p ac i-
ione s should expand hei echnological app oach o DT and inco po a e aspec s
ela ed o echnological in as uc u e and EA. Hence, he PST amewo k, when
coupled wi h a ho ough examina ion o po en ial blind spo s, migh aid local change
agen s in ansla ing he ashionable managemen idea o DT (Ansa i e al. 2010;
Rø ik, 2019; S u dy e al. 2019) and dec ease he numbe o blind spo s s emming
om he ambigui y and limi ed in e nal isibili y o DT (Bende s e al. 1998). How-
e e , his app oach would necessi a e imp o ed DT awa eness skills (Hanel e al.
2021) o change agen s ega ding i s con en s, and p esume ha p ac i ione s would
need o be awa e o di e en in e wined elemen s o DT and manage i as a blend
o echnical and social ac i i ies. The PST amewo k, along wi h he enhanced DT
awa eness skills, migh hus p epa e ashion ollowe s by placing hem in a be e
posi ion o na iga e he complexi ies o DT and eap i s associa ed bene i s. The
p oblem aised by his pape is he lack o a en ion o consul ing i ms o nume ous
dimensions o DT due o a educ ionis iew o bo h pe o mance, s uc u e, and
echnology. The PST amewo k a ends o missing dimensions ha a e equi ed o
con ibu ing he success o DT h ough a mo e sys emic app oach.
6.3 Limi a ions and u he s udies
Ou s udy has se e al limi a ions which open a enues o u u e esea ch. One
signi ican limi a ion pe ains o he scope and scale o ou s udy. Owing o la ge
794
E.Monod e al.
consul ancies’ powe in dissemina ion and legi ima ion o new ideas, we ocused
on six leading consul ing i ms. Ye , hey ep esen only one ype o agen s shaping
and dissemina ing managemen ideas (Suddaby and G eenwood 2001). Fu u e s ud-
ies could explo e o he se s o ashion se e s, such as business schools, managemen
gu us, and smalle consul ancies. In pa icula , ollow-up s udies could u n o he
cons uc ion and di usion o ashions by mo e specialized p omisso y consul ing
i ms, such as Ga ne (Pollach 2021; Pollock and Williams 2010).
F om a heo e ical s andpoin , he PST amewo k, while holis ic, is no com-
p ehensi e. I does no conside such aspec s as managemen compe ency, dynamic
capabili y aspec (Teece 2007), he GRAI G id o decision making (Doumeing s
e al. 2006), o he Viable Sys ems Model o a comp ehensi e unde s anding o he
o ganiza ion (Espejo and Gill 1997). Fu u e s udies migh conside building on he
PST amewo k owa ds g ea e comp ehensi eness.
Ano he impo an limi a ion o his s udy conce ns i s exclusi e ocus on whi e
pape s. Whi e pape s, while o e ing esea che s i s -hand access o consul ing
i ms’ he o ic, a e also socially cons uc ed documen s c ea ed o speci ic pu -
poses, such as ad e ising consul ancies’ no el managemen ideas (Bowen 2009).
Whi e pape s hus ep esen jus a ac ion o he consul ing i ms’ epe oi e o
case- and indus y-speci ic me hodologies and e e ence models. The e o e, ou
indings should no be in e p e ed as limi a ions in he consul ing i ms’ capabili ies.
Ra he hey highligh he limi a ions o hei public dissemina ing discou se, which
could mislead company managemen in o belie ing ha hey a e ully p epa ed o a
DT, po en ially esul ing in lowe - han-expec ed success a es. Mo eo e , gi en he
e ealed semblance o consul ing app oach e iden in whi e pape s, he p ocess by
which clien s di e en ia e and selec consul ing pa ne s emains enigma ic. The e-
o e, we encou age u u e s udies o del e in o and compa e he DT discou se a he
in e pe sonal le el o in e ac ion wi h clien s, which is no publicly sha ed.
Ou s udy p edomina ely ocuses on he consul ancy discou se on DT. Howe e ,
DT ep esen s a la ge, complex change p ojec o a ashionable managemen idea
ha can be ope a ionalized wi h se e al ashionable sub-ideas, such as AI, block-
chain, o digi al wins. Fu he compa a i e s udies migh explo e whe he he con-
sul ing dissemina ing discou se di e s be ween DT and o he mo e specialized “dig-
i al” managemen o echnological ideas.
T adi ionally, he li e a u e on managemen ashion and ideas po ays clien s as
“ ic ims” o “ma ione es” o consul an s’ he o ic, manipula ion, and imp ession
managemen (Kipping and Cla k 2012; Cla k and Salaman 1998; Kiese 1997).
Howe e , his no ion is inc easingly being ques ioned due o he shi s in powe and
con ol be ween consul an s and clien s in he con empo a y dynamic wo ld (Fin-
cham and E ans 1999; Heusink eld e al. 2011; S u dy 1997a, 1997b; We and
S yhi e 2002) whe e clien s inc easingly o malize, cen alize, and a ionalize hei
managemen o consul ing p ojec s and appea o be qui e c i ical and dis us ul
conce ning he consul ing indus y and “buzzwo d” panacea-concep s (Gill and
Whi le 2007). Such de elopmen s p o ide exci ing a enues o u u e s udies ha
can explo e he powe dynamics in he ashion a ena and ake a close look a how
ashion consume s (i.e., manage s) pe cei e he semblance o he managemen con-
sul ing discou se on DT and in e ac i ely co-cons uc i (S u dy 2017).

795
Un eiling blind spo s inconsul ing i ms’ dissemina ing…
Finally, u u e s udies could e i y and adjus he p esen ed PST amewo k
in a ious con ex s, including bo h analyses o he DT consul ing discou se and
local o ganiza ional DT s a egic change ini ia i es. D awing on ansla ion heo y
(Ansa i e al. 2010; Rø ik 2011), ollow-up esea ch migh also del e in o how he
PST amewo k and blind spo s could assis local ansla o s (i.e., manage s and
middle-le el manage s) (Spy idonidis e al. 2016) in DT change managemen .
7 Conclusion
DT is o en iewed as a ashionable managemen idea, ye i s execu ion en ails con-
side able complexi y and equi es ca e ul managemen . Gi en ha o ganiza ions
commonly seek guidance om managemen consul ing i ms o hei change man-
agemen endea o s like DT, i is impe a i e o gain a deepe unde s anding o he
comp ehensi eness o he DT consul ing discou se. Applying he PST amewo k,
ou indings highligh ha leading managemen consul ing i ms neglec nume ous
dimensions o expec ed pe o mance imp o emen , do no e e o he concep o
wo k o ce di e en ia ion, la gely ail o epo di e en o ganiza ional ans o ma-
ion me hods, and educe he echnological dimension o agile de elopmen me hods
wi hou clea ly a icula ing he di e en le els o in as uc u e and EA. Mo eo e ,
ou indings e eal addishness, simplici y, and subs an ial semblance o he DT
discou se dissemina ed by he leading managemen consul ing i ms. The p ac ical
implica ion o hese indings sugges s he consul an s and p ac i ione s migh con-
side he PST amewo k holis ically o inc ease he likelihood o DT’s success.
Supplemen a y In o ma ion The online e sion con ains supplemen a y ma e ial a ailable a h ps:// doi.
o g/ 10. 1007/ s10257- 024- 00687-x.
Funding Open access unding p o ided by NTNU No wegian Uni e si y o Science and Technology
(incl S . Ola s Hospi al - T ondheim Uni e si y Hospi al).
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