The Role of Management Consultants in Long-Term ERP Customization Trajectories: A Case from the Italian Local Government

Abstract

This chapter proposes an understanding of the role of management consultants in the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems in the Public Sector. The analysis is grounded on the case of an Italian Local Government in the course of 10 years. Each period corresponds to a different key client-consultant relationship and Public Sector situation. By using situational maps, the authors have highlighted the deeply contextual reflexivity between consultants and client organizations in configuring consultants’ advice over time. The purpose of the chapter is to replace “guru-istic” accounts with a more relational perspective that describes consultants as existing only in relation with their clients and the evolving Public Sector situation.