As we highlighted last time, differentiation is a real strength for the firm—in this sample, The Boston Consulting Group beats all its competitors on this criterion. However, a top-five slot
requires more than strength in just one dimension. The Boston Consulting Group also scores
well compared to its competitors on resilience, beaten only by IBM and Deloitte.

BCG hasn’t really slowed down much – it’s just been overtaken by a couple of firms who are
speeding up. But its fall to third place in our rankings serves as a useful reminder about just how
tough it is at the top: indeed we may be tempted to see it simply as part of the jostling for position
that goes on amongst leaders, were it not for the significance of strategy firms vacating the top
spot for the first time in a long time. So is there really something more significant going on here?

The Boston Consulting Group’s average score has changed little since our last rating, but due to rivals accelerating around
it, its ranking has dropped again. The firm continues to produce some really solid reports. See, for example, How to boost
bank branches in a multichannel world, which is not as analysis-driven as many of The Boston Consulting Group’s reports,