| Abstract: | This research proposes a situational understanding of the role of con‐sultants. The analysis is grounded on a case from Italian local government over a ten year period. The case is one of the earliest adopters of an ERP system in the public sector. The paper extends current understanding of client‐consultant relationships by developing a specific picture of changes in the role of consultants over time. In the case analysed, multiple changes in client‐consultant relationships occurred. They were due to particular historical contingencies in the evolution of the structure of expertise in the field. The case contributes to knowledge on consultants by contrasting bilateral and instantaneous accounts of client‐consultant relationship with a perspective that overcomes the distinction between context and individual action. |
