The consultancy field in Europe: A comparative approach

Abstract

This paper analyses the European consultancy industry and its evolution during the last decade. The current situation of the European consulting industry is compared with its long-term development since the 1980s, as well as with some perspective on its future evolution. Former literature on the field suggested that consulting in Europe would become less diverse in the early twentieth century (“convergence hypothesis”) and dominated by global American firms (“Americanization hypothesis”). The main conclusions point in a different direction. The European consulting market still has much national diversity and there is not a clear convergence trend in the industry. On the contrary, there is evidence suggesting an increasing diversity between countries over the last decade. Finally, the “Americanization hypothesis” is not confirmed. The European firms increased their number among the largest consultancies operating in Europe.