Paper Number
ECIS2026-1824
Paper Type
CRP
Abstract
Generative AI is rapidly transforming work in professional service firms, where it is increasingly used to perform tasks at the core of service delivery. Against this backdrop, we examine how integrating the technology into practice reshapes routines and generates effects beyond the routine level. To this end, we conduct a qualitative, inductive multiple-case study in two European management consultancies comprising 31 semi-structured interviews. We identify recurring patterns of generative AI use and derive four mechanisms that explain how work is being reconfigured. Integrating these mechanisms into a framework makes it possible to describe how local adaptations of routines accumulate into broader field-level change. We contribute to research on generative AI in professional service firms by providing a mechanism-based explanation of work transformation and by showing how tensions shape these dynamics across levels. We further derive implications for managing the use of generative AI in practice.
Recommended Citation
Killewald, Robin and Haskamp, Thomas, "How Generative AI Drives Field-Level Change In Management Consulting" (2026). ECIS 2026 Proceedings. 9.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2026/genai/genai/9
How Generative AI Drives Field-Level Change In Management Consulting
Generative AI is rapidly transforming work in professional service firms, where it is increasingly used to perform tasks at the core of service delivery. Against this backdrop, we examine how integrating the technology into practice reshapes routines and generates effects beyond the routine level. To this end, we conduct a qualitative, inductive multiple-case study in two European management consultancies comprising 31 semi-structured interviews. We identify recurring patterns of generative AI use and derive four mechanisms that explain how work is being reconfigured. Integrating these mechanisms into a framework makes it possible to describe how local adaptations of routines accumulate into broader field-level change. We contribute to research on generative AI in professional service firms by providing a mechanism-based explanation of work transformation and by showing how tensions shape these dynamics across levels. We further derive implications for managing the use of generative AI in practice.
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