Business Consulting

With a revenue of around 38 billion euros and over 180,000 consultants, Germany’s business consulting market is one of the largest in the world. Numerous national and international consulting companies operate in Germany, supporting clients around a variety of strategy, organisational and process, marketing and HR consulting issues. The business consulting market is undergoing exceptionally dynamic change. Since the financial and economic crisis, many companies in this sector have experienced double-digit annual growth, except for a dip in revenue in the year of the Covid-19 pandemic. Changing customer needs, rapid technological change, social developments – including those related to sustainability – and the uncertainty of the business environment are creating a significant demand for advice among clients. In the future, these services will require less on-site presence, necessitating new soft skills from consultants.

Business consulting has a complex market structure

The provider market in Germany is diverse and complex. In addition to large international consulting companies and medium-sized German consulting firms, a large number of small companies are active in management consulting. Various service companies, such as IT consultants, system integrators and auditing firms, are also entering the consulting market. Personnel consulting, including executive search and interim services, is additionally becoming an integral part of the expanded range of consulting services. And the boundaries between management and IT consulting are becoming increasingly blurred.

Lünendonk has decades of expertise in the management consulting market

Lünendonk has been studying the business consulting market and publishing rankings and surveys on the consulting industry for over 30 years. Today, our analyses cover a range of issues from provider structure, positioning and relevant technologies to developments in consultancy portfolios and client demand.

Future business consulting needs driven by digital transformation, automation, personalisation and sustainability

Which megatrends will drive the demand for consulting in the future? The assumption is that increased data usage and automation, improved agility and responsiveness to VUCA, and greater customer focus will sustain high demand for management consulting services. Social demands and the EU taxonomy around ESG are making sustainability and the circular economy mandatory for companies. Vulnerable supply chains highlight the importance of supply chain and purchasing/procurement management. Additionally, advice on restructuring, reorganisation and turnaround management in a dynamic market environment is always relevant, as are lean management, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), transaction consulting, operations management, after-sales and distribution.