As much as half of the work done by consultants within the next five years will be carried out in the form of large/small firm alliances, newly inaugurated Management Consultancies Association president Lynton Barker has claimed.
Link: Interview: The double life of Lynton Barker
In an exclusive interview with Management Consultancy, Barker said: ‘I think as much as 50% of all the work that will be done by consultants within the next five years will be carried out in alliances, not just small but big firms as well.’
Barker, who has been at the helm for just seven weeks, estimated the current alliance figure to stand at 20% but said that small consultancy firms had made a huge leap in standards as well as the variety of projects carried out.
‘One of the big advantages of the proliferation of small firms is that some of the work the big firms need from time to time, which previously they had to invest in, is available whenever they need it.
‘Another reason why this is going to be a big trend is that there is a huge acceleration in outsourcing and the more outsourcing there is, the more you need to bring in different skills.
‘The same can be said of financial services which is on an upward curve as well as manufacturing institutions and retail companies needing more outsourced services such as HR or finance back office work.’