Modes of Generative AI Engagement in Management Consulting - A Qualitative Study of Generative AI Engagement Across Seniority Levels

Sammanfattning

This study examines how generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is incorporated into everyday management consulting work and how this varies across seniority levels. Drawing on a qualitative interview study with 15 management consultants in Sweden, supplemented by selected industry podcast material, the study analyses how consultants engage with GenAI in knowledge-intensive work. Theoretically, the study builds on research on GenAI in knowledge work, human-AI collaboration and the distinction between Mode 1 and Mode 2 knowledge production, which is developed into an analytical model of Mode 1 and Mode 2 GenAI engagement. The findings show that GenAI is mainly incorporated into existing consulting workflows rather than fundamentally transforming them. Consultants use GenAI to summarize documents, process transcripts, draft text, structure presentations, generate ideas and explore alternative perspectives. However, GenAI-generated outputs are rarely treated as final, as they require human evaluation and professional judgment before they can become part of consulting knowledge. The study identifies an evaluation paradox: GenAI increases efficiency by accelerating parts of the workflow, but at the same time creates new demands for quality control and accountability. The findings further show that GenAI engagement is shaped by seniority. Junior consultants and associates primarily use GenAI for task execution, while senior consultants and partners use it more selectively for hypothesis development, review and client-facing recommendations. The study concludes that GenAI produces structured adaptation rather than radical transformation in management consulting, reconfiguring where human expertise is exercised rather than replacing professional judgment.