Focus on Industries and Markets

The Global Management Consulting Sector

By Andrew C. Gross and Jozsef Poor

Andrew C. Gross is professor of marketing and international business at Cleveland State University. He has been a consultant and expert witness to companies and governments in North America and Europe. Jozsef Poor is professor of management at the University of Pecs in Hungary. He is a certified management consultant (CMC) and was formerly managing director at both Hay Group and Mercer HR in Hungary. They are the co-authors of a 2003 book, “Management Consultancy in an East European Context.”

While other practices or professions trace their roots back several centuries, management consulting is less than 150 years old. However, this sector has made giant strides in the West, especially in the United States, from the 1930s to the present and in Western Europe since the 1950s. Waves of internationalization occurred on both sides of the Atlantic. Expansion got a further boost when Central Europe opened the gates in 1990. With that opening and the World Wide Web, both local and big multinational management consultants stepped up their efforts. Further strides are being made now in the booming Asia-Pacific region. We first explore historical highlights and the key drivers of growth; then briefly analyze service offerings, enduse markets, available statistics, and company profiles. Finally, we probe emerging trends and the contours in this field, a sector that is an amalgam of management practice and a professional service. Our investigation is based on archives, theses, research databanks, association and company data, and our own primary work.

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