Criticism 

Despite consistently high and growing revenues, management consultancy also consistently attracts a significant amount of criticism, both from clients as well as from management scholars. "Management consultants are often criticized for overuse of buzzwords^[4], reliance on and propagation of management fads, and a failure to develop plans that are executable by the client." A number of critical books about management consulting argue that the mismatch between management consulting advice and the ability of business executives to actually create the change suggested results in substantial damages to existing businesses.^[5] In his book "Flawed Advice and the Management Trap," Chris Argyris believes that much of the advice given today has much in it of real merit. However, a close examination shows that most advice given today contains gaps and inconsistencies that may prevent positive outcomes in the future.^[6] 

Disreputable consulting firms are often accused of delivering empty promises, despite high fees. They are often charged with "stating the obvious" and with lacking the experience on which to base their advice. These consultants bring few innovations, instead offering generic and "prepackaged" strategies and plans that are irrelevant to the client’s particular issue. They may fail to prioritize their responsibilities, placing their own firm’s interests before the clients'. ^[7] 

Another concern is the promise of consulting firms to deliver on the sustainability of results. At the end of an engagement between the client and consulting firms, there is often an expectation that the consultants will audit the project results for a period of time to ensure that their efforts are sustainable. Although sustainability is promoted by some consulting firms, it is difficult to implement because of the disconnect between the client and consulting firms after the project closes.