A morphology of management consulting typologies

The identity of the consultant is not theorized as one definable construct but ratherby morphologicaltypologies that share similarities while at the same areconceptualized as being vastly different. In examining the literature of morphological typologies of consultants, this paper seeks to explore how various consulting identities that are constituents of typologies interact with identity claims that seek to influence potential client perceptions. The paper starts by exploring the literature documenting organizational identity before specifically focusing on converging and diverging identities of the consultant. The paper then identifies key variables that that appear in a significant number of consultant identities highlighting both the similarities and differences. Finally, the paper offers a possible future research agenda that seeks not to add to the list of identities but instead explore the gaps of the consulting identity literature through field research