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Commodifying the Commodifiers: The Impact of Procurement on Management Knowledge
Author(s) -
O'Mahoney Joe,
Heusinkveld Stefan,
Wright Christopher
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of management studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.398
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1467-6486
pISSN - 0022-2380
DOI - 10.1111/joms.12008
Subject(s) - commodification , procurement , intermediary , business , valuation (finance) , agency (philosophy) , knowledge management , value (mathematics) , marketing , sociology , economics , computer science , market economy , accounting , social science , machine learning
Current conceptualizations of the commodification of management knowledge prioritize the agency of knowledge producers, such as consultancies, but downplay the role of other actors such as intermediaries. Using a qualitative multi‐method study of the role of procurement in sourcing consultancy knowledge, we demonstrate how intermediaries also commodify management knowledge, thereby limiting the exchange value of that knowledge. Through our analysis we develop a more sophisticated model of the processes and consequences of knowledge commodification. This model clarifies and extends prior research by highlighting the role of commensuration, comparison and valuation, as well as the related tactics that consultants and client managers use to resist procurement's attempts to commodify management knowledge.