Rationality and Its Symbols: Signalling Effects and Subjectification in Management Consulting*
研究管理咨询行业如何通过人员选拔（尤其是案例面试）来象征理性，从而在难以衡量服务质量的市场中创造信号效应，并使咨询师内化理性信念。
abstract In service sectors such as management consulting, it is very difficult to measure the impact or success of a service even after it has been delivered. In these markets of goods between experience and credence, symbolic value is helpful and necessary to complement quality perceptions. The leading management consulting firms, in particular, do not only deliver data‐driven analyses but also represent and symbolize the rational approach to business issues. This article looks at the role of personnel selection in the context of quality symbolization. It argues that the predominant tool for personnel selection in the consulting sector, the case study, accounts for both a signalling effect of rationality to the business environment and a subjectification of consulting staff to the consulting culture and rationality beliefs. The case is made that, rather than leading to a valid selection of high‐performance personnel, the process of personnel selection has latent effects, which nonetheless contribute to the consulting industry's success.