Can consultants influence dynamic capabilities? A multiple case study

After consulting projects, managers can develop new capabilities thank to the exposition to consultants’ knowledge. Nevertheless this process is influenced by many conditions and can lead to different outcomes. This paper shows four relevant case studies in which companies of different industries internalize knowledge from management consultants and develop new dynamic capabilities. Each case study consists of an organizational consulting project. The cases show that consultants can play an active role in enabling companies to overcome conditions of organizational rigidity and develop new dynamic capabilities. The study identifies patterns of evolution of capabilities that change according with environmental contingencies and the perception that internal managers have about consultants. A complete set of regenerative dynamic capabilities is developed if, after the end of a consulting project, internal managers assume a critical position about consultants and the company is exposed to new strong environmental contingencies that require an immediate intervention by managers.