Introduction

Abstract

A notorious ‘amusing’ anecdote about management consultants concerns a dead horse and how many stupid, worthless, desperate and absurd approaches to tackling it (including of course flogging it) the consultant formulates, while ignoring the immutable fact that the horse is indeed already dead.¹ This story, and others similar, which circulate unchallenged and are endlessly re-told (readers will undoubtedly have their own examples) are part of the complex and ambiguous process whereby the consultant achieves her identity or sense of self and forges her sense of worth or value.