[spamizbad]

Even if you're not a fan of management consulting I think giving The Lords of Strategy by Walter Kiechel a read is worthwhile to understanding why they are such a big part of our world. It gives a good modern history of the profession and how they made such a profound impact on the business world.

I think ultimately what happened was most of what made them famous in the 60s, 70s, and 80s has largely become standard business practice. With the low hanging fruit gone they've moved onto laundering accountability and/or very expensive side-steps of corporate bureaucracy.