Excellence in IT Consulting: Integrating Multiple Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Top Performers

Information technology (IT) consulting is a job where performance is multidimensional and difficult to measure objectively, and where organizational cultures are often “up or out.” Thus, a consultant will typically be judged by (implicit) comparison to an observer's mental picture of a “top performer.” Three linked studies conducted at a large IT consulting firm examine the nature and implications of this process. In the first, we address what it means to be a “top performer” as an IT consultant, both at the entry level and in more senior roles. The second study demonstrates incongruity among various stakeholders in their perceptions of which attributes are of primary and lesser importance as determinants of excellent performance. The third study examines the effects of this incongruence on consultants' attitudes and performance. This research presents a novel operationalization of incongruity that is particularly relevant for understanding IT personnel, and one that has practical implications for their socialization and management.