A study on the profile of management consulting firms in Turkey

Abstract

Popularity of management consulting, which is defined as "replacement of expertise with money" by some consultants, as an emerging business area has increased in Turkey in recent years. The purpose of this study is to analyse the profile of management consultancy firms in terms of • organizational structure, • areas of activity, • marketing, • production of management knowledge, • personnel. The study covers the literature to the extent possible because the literature on on management consulting is very limited. Interviews with managers or owners were held to gather information about consultancy firms in Turkey. The sample consisted of those consultancy firms, where members of YDD (Association of Management Consultants) work. As a result of the study, a categorization of consultancy firms based on the size and the diversity of activity areas is made. The categorization implied that there exists a positive correlation between these two dimensions of consultancy organizations. Additionally, it can be argued that, multinational consulting firms, which are included in the study, do differ from local consulting firms in terms of size, diversification of services, and formal training of consultants. Most of the consultancy firms expect an increase in the demand for consultancy services in the long run. Consequently, the market attracts entrepreneurs as well as foreign firms that closely monitor the developments in the Turkish market. Whether local consulting firms will be able to compete with huge multinational organizations remains as a question of time.