This article distinguishes between a grand definition of strategy, which refers to the fit between organizations and their environment, and a contingent definition of strategy, which refers to how strategy is practiced by organizations at a given moment in time. Building on the role that management consultants play in providing organizations with a fit with their environment, it examines their evolving activities since the birth of the modern corporation and derives the corresponding contingent strategies. In doing so, this article contributes to debates about strategy definition and to theorizing about the role of management consultants.
