A common motivation in bringing in management consultants is to get a neutral perspective on our business. In actuality, though, while consultants sometimes do provide objectivity, this cannot always be presumed.

Consultants can in fact have vested interests as strong as those of any internal organization—the most common of which is a desire to make money by racking up billable hours.   Because of this direct monetary interest, asking management consultants to assess the seriousness of a problem they might also be hired to fix can be a classic case of having the fox guard the henhouse.

Exaggerating the seriousness of a problem is not the only way consultants may manage perceptions in ways that suit their financial interests. Exaggerating their successes is another approach that is not uncommon.

Also, if a manager in the client company seems insufficiently enthusiastic about using their services, once they have worked their way into an organization, consultants can effectively downplay that manager’s competence in the eyes of his boss, to the point where the “offending” manager has to find himself another job.