Management consultant - client relationships: their impact on consultancy outcomes in SMEs

This paper reports on the findings of an empirical study that examined aspects of the consultant - client relationship (CCR) that affect the adoption of a consultant's recommendations in the context of a small or medium enterprise (SME). In addition, this study found that a SNlE client's judgement of the success of a consultancy project was based on three key factors - the financial change in the business, the gaining of new knowledge on operating an SME learnt through the consultancy and any new perspective on the business gained as a result of the consultancy. These findings are drawn from three contrasting case studies each developed from interviews of client/owners in a government-sponsored program to assist SMEs through consultant development of business plans. The3e case studies explored the CCR from the client's perspective presenting an alternative perspective to the CCR from that contained in much of the consulting literature.