Management Consultancy in the 21st Century

Management consultancy is one of the fastest growing markets in the world today, with the worldwide fees estimated to total more than $60bn. This pace of growth looks set to continue, but the future holds significant challenges. This book assesses the key opportunities and risks facing the consulting industry over the next twenty years, such as: - the changing client-consultant relationship, with clients demanding more tangible benefits in a shorter time - access to new international capital will determine the survival of consulting firms - more complex relationships between consulting firms, with new alliances between traditional rivals in order to address new markets - a more blurred boundary between the roles of clients and consultants The author is a management consultant of long-standing experience and she quotes from interviews with leading partners from some of the world's most influential firms, including Andersen Consulting, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, Deloitte & Touche and the Boston Consulting Group. This will be essential reading for anyone already working as a consultant or considering doing so, and for people who buy or work with consultants.

Preface Introduction PART 1: CONSULTANCY IN THE NEXT TEN YEARS Changes in the Client-Consultant Relationship Consultancy in the Next Decade? An Overview Innovation: The Over Production of Truth? Managing Existing Intellectual Capital No Consultancy is an Island: Alliances and Networks Differentiation Specialisation The Changing Balance of People and Technology Globalisation The Polarisation of Consulting Styles From Advising to Doing PART 2: CONSULTANCY IN 2020 Introduction Changes in the Business Environment and their Impact on Clients' Use of Consultancy Segmenting the Consulting Industry of the Future The Future Nature of Consulting Services Client-Consultant Relations Critical Success Factors Key Threats and Challenges Globalisation Recruiting and Retaining People Intellectual Capital Branding Appendix: Contributors and Consulting Firms

The book includes extracts from discussions with some of the key figures in the Management Consultancy industry worldwide.