ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses from an historical perspective the role of management consulting firms in shaping their clients’ expectations about the future. Since the second half of the twentieth century, consultants have gained considerable influence on decision-making processes in business and beyond. Identifying three overlapping historical periods, this chapter argues that this was not due to the superiority of consultants’ knowledge or tools. Instead, we interpret it as the result of a complex interplay between the changing economic environment in which their interactions with clients took place on the one hand, and the growing ability and legitimacy of consultants to portray themselves as providers of techniques and solutions to address an ever more uncertain future on the other. Over the last decades, despite recent scandals and a mixed track record, consulting firms have successfully established their roles as “future experts,” not least by creating their own think tanks that offer predictions guiding their clients’ decisions.
