The end of management consulting as we know it

"Practitioner Meets Academia & Return"

I am proud to announce that the paper about #ai#rpa#automation #businestransformation,#managementconsulting with the title “The end of management consulting as we know it” has been accepted and published in the Management Consulting Journal- (forthcoming next journal edition)

And I am grateful to have worked with Dr. Michael Provitera and Mostafa Sayyadi

I want to share a summary of the content based on what business needs are and how management consulting firms could help their clients in the current business environment impacted by disruptive technology.

Companies’ challenges

In terms of Management, senior executives are called to update and upgrade organisations and culture to support transformations, implement strategies in Business as Usual, and create resilience and agility to market and environmental shifts. The challenges companies need to undertake are related to

· Remain competitive, stay agile and focus on developing and leveraging their advantages with resource constraints.

· Develop a digital and data mindset into the culture of the organisation.

· Align people and IT/Digital systems.

· Workforce: flexibility and resilience

· Adapting to a changing environment by using double-loop learning and implementing a knowledge management system.

What do companies need?

Executives must recognise the value of AI and automation tools and take a proactive role in implementing them. Innovation and productivity can be driven in new ways by leveraging AI and automation, creating a dynamic competitive advantage.

They need to use AI and RPA to:

· Streamline processes.

· Reduce costs, and increase efficiency,

· Improve customer relationships and customer satisfaction.

· Create a faster decision-making process through empowered people to make decisions faster and more accurately, utilising the increased data available.

· Create a decision-making process based on data analysis instead of intuition.

What is the relevance of management consulting in this context?

Management consultants and business advisers have been recognized for producing, sharing, legitimizing management ideas and contributing to the development of companies, also through introducing management practices .However based on scepticism, resistance and strong criticism, management consultancy grown and developed during cycles of growth and expansion, they need to show they are able to cope with a changed and continuously changing environment and the disruptive impact of the new technology on business and social aspect of employees.

As evidenced by research, management consulting have resisted change for decades, at the point that a century later, its business model is similar: analysis, discovery, and proposal of solutions.

What do management consulting firms need to do?

It is not enough to identify problems and provide solutions to senior managers in this new era of disruptions. Consultants also need to be able to execute challenging solutions like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotic process automation (RPA) which require consultants to adopt a dual role based on an increased capabilities for their new business models, and help companies with AI tools - techniques to support growth, improve operations and make more informed decisions.

Is this “The end of management consulting as we know it”[1]?

[1] Garcia, J. (2021). The End Of Consulting As We Know It. Forbes