Client-consultant relations and the role of challenge

In the literature on individual and organisational learning, 'challenge' is widely presumed to be an important element in the learning process. This assumption is also evident in the field of management consultancy where consultants' 'outsider' status and knowledge base is seen as helpful in that new ideas promote innovation and knowledge exploration. The consultant is positioned as challenger; the client as the recipient who learns and changes on receiving the challenge. This paper explores these assumptions in the context of a client-consultant strategy project. Analysis of the case draws attention to the complex dynamics of challenge interventions, and problematises the notion that the consultant is the primary challenger. The paper explores the context of challenge interventions using situated learning theory, and shows that conflicts of identity may inhibit consultants from delivering challenges in the way expected by the client. By contrast, sophisticated clients with considerable experience with consultants may challenge consultants to be more challenging.