oftentimes in companies, a consultant will be brought in to create controlled rebellion - a consultant is basically a mercenary who will operate at the direction of one of the bosses inside the company, and the results of the consulting or research/development efforts can be discussed in terms of political strategy as well as actual results.

of course, the trade-off for being a consultant is that you're very well compensated but can be fired for any reason, or no reason at all, without any of the legal protections afforded an employee. this is a business model for management consulting firms but i've seen plenty of smaller outfits or individuals do this as well.