THE ROLE OF MANAGEMENT-CONSULTANTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY - THE INDISSOLUBLE NATURE OF SOCIOPOLITICAL AND TECHNICAL SKILLS

This paper explores the role of management consultants in the developm ent of information technology (IT) in organizations. Contending that t he process of IT systems development is characterized by the exercise of power, the central theme of the argument concerns the indissoluble nature of the technical and socio-political skills inherent in IT cons ultancy practice. IT consultancy practice is not just socio-political when winning a contract - the sales pitch - and technical when develop ing an IT system. Rather, socio-political skills centered on the mobil ization of discursive and symbolic resources are an inherent part of t he construction of such systems.