BCG in pole position

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is better positioned for growth than any of its major competitors.

That's one of the findings of our new report, published yesterday, into the views of more than 400 senior end-users of consulting services across Europe and the Middle East. The idea of putting any consulting firm top of a list is something we normally treat with great caution but it became clear, through our conversations with clients, that there are a number of really well-defined opportunities for growth, and that some firms are better positioned than others to take advantage of them.

So what is it that puts BCG is such a good position? Put simply it's about the firm's percieved ability to change. That's not to say there's anything wrong with it at the moment (or at least nothing that isn't wrong with any other firm) but one of the messages that came through loud and clear from clients is that they want consulting firms to be able to adapt to new ways of working with them. And that the prize, for those who do, could be great.

BCG starts from a strong position - the firm was mentioned very frequently by clients and almost as much as McKinsey (no mean feat) by strategy directors. Many clients told us how impressed they were with BCG's industry knowledge but the largest number spoke of its abilities in the implementation space, something that will doubtless please the firm no end. Despite just about every consulting firm we speak to these days laying claim to its unique ability to bridge the gap between advice and implementation, clients remain cynical about whether consulting firms really can implement in the way they want. That a firm like BCG has managed to do so - despite being so strongly associated with strategic advice - is as impressive as it is encouraging.

And that's really at the heart of it: what clients seem to be saying is that BCG is a firm capable of playing different roles. They talk of it fitting in from a cultural perspective (something many clients consider to be very important) and being able to collaborate with them on projects. But, when they need it to do so, they also see the firm as being capable of leading teams of their own people to get things done.

Of course none of that is a guarantee of success; it simply means that - to use a motor-racing analogy - BCG is in pole position, and has the best chance of being able to pull clear of the rest of the field while they're all busy crashing into each other.