Client Relations on the Digital Workplace : A case study on how the consultant-client relationship is affected by remote work during Covid-19

Sammanfattning: During the Covid-19 pandemic, employees all over the world were forced to work from home, meaning that consultants no longer could work physically present with their clients. As the consultant-client relationship is incredibly important for management consulting firms, it is interesting to investigate how these relationships have been impacted by the change and what the implications are for collaboration and performance. A qualitative method was used, where the authors conducted interviews with management consultants at an international management consulting firm in Stockholm, Sweden. The study found that remote working with already existing clients was functioning well. However, collaboration with new relations proved to be more challenging, which was mainly perceived to depend on the difficulty to create a personal trust and connection remotely, since digital communication made it difficult to understand the client’s needs. The digital way of working also revealed challenges with creativity, invisibility, onboarding, knowledge development and sales. Thus, the study concluded that collaborations and relationships will benefit greatly from a physical meeting early on. Nevertheless, the most beneficial working method would be to continuously balance the advantages of both remote and office working.