Why Consulting Firms Must Adapt or Risk Falling Behind

As a consulting partner, you're used to being ahead of the curve. You’ve built your practice and your reputation on your ability to spot shifts early and act decisively.

But the nature of those shifts is evolving—and so are the stakes.

Generative AI isn’t just another technology trend to monitor; it is one to act on. The technology is fundamentally changing how consulting work gets done, how value is delivered to clients, and how firms stay competitive. In fact according to our report Setting the Pace: How Management Consultants Are Leading the genAI Revolution​, 91% of management consultants say they are eager to use genAI in their professional work—significantly more than the 83% cross-industry average.

Now is not the time to be comfortable. While some firms are embedding genAI into their operations and gaining a significant edge, others risk falling behind—not in five years, but within the next 12 months. As genAI adoption accelerates, expectations around speed, insight quality, and delivery standards are rising just as quickly. According to a 2025 study by Accenture, referenced in Forbes, more than 80% of business leaders report that genAI has exceeded their expectations—yet only 13% say they are realizing value at an enterprise-wide level. This gap presents a critical moment for consulting firms: those that move quickly to scale genAI effectively stand to capture significant competitive advantage, while those that hesitate risk losing ground to more agile, AI-enabled competitors.

Consultants Are Already Leading the GenAI Revolution

While other industries are still testing pilots and debating ROI, management consultants are in execution mode.  As highlighted by our report, more than 80% of consultants already use genAI tools in their day-to-day work, and 56% report saving 3–4 hours each day. Additionally, over a third say genAI now contributes to at least 50% of their workflow.

GenAI in the workplace goes beyond automating administrative tasks. It’s reshaping how consulting delivers value—from faster research (reported by 77% of surveyed consultants), summarization (71%), and due diligence (66%).

MORE: How Generative AI is making Research More Efficient

Firms Are Investing in Expertise—Not Just Tools

High adoption alone doesn't guarantee results. What sets leading firms apart is their ongoing commitment to training and transformation.

Consulting firms are moving past basic awareness of genAI as over 40% of consultants have received advanced genAI training—nearly triple the industry average. Regular upskilling is the norm, with 70% of firms conducting training at least quarterly, positioning genAI proficiency as a core component of professional development. In contrast, only 8% of firms report offering no genAI training at all – a sharp contrast with the industry-wide average of 28%.

Firms and partners that are slower on the genAI adoption curve are right to be concerned they may be falling behind. It means your top competitors are not just experimenting—they’re equipping their people to lead with genAI. The firms that are winning are the ones making genAI fluency a non-negotiable skillset, and not a niche competency. They understand that the value comes from people who are trained to use the technology well and consistently, rather than placing value solely in technology alone.

For firms that are yet to follow suit, it is important to understand that without the right training infrastructure, even the best tools will underdeliver—and your teams will underperform.

MORE: The Main Reasons AI Projects Fail – and How to Avoid Being Next

Productivity Is No Longer Operational—It’s Strategic

In management consulting, time can often be your scarcest resource. How your firm captures and reallocates time has become a strategic lever for differentiation, growth, and client value.

Consultants are saving valuable time with genAI in an industry where client work, internal meetings, and business development constantly compete for attention​.

GenAI is automating time-intensive work that is well overdue for greater efficiency—tasks like data entry, research, and drafting documents. In doing so, it’s enabling consultants to focus on higher-value strategic activities like refining recommendations, engaging directly with clients, and shaping the direction of the business.

This shift isn’t hypothetical—it’s happening now. As consultants free up their schedules, they’re spending more time on work that enhances client trust and unlocks new opportunities. And with 84% of consultants expressing a strong preference for creative and strategic work over routine analysis, genAI is aligning productivity with professional motivation​.

Firms that adapt and embed genAI across their operations are building faster-moving, insight-driven teams—and delivering more value, more often. Those that don’t risk falling behind in responsiveness, relevance, and revenue.

MORE: Best Practices to Ensure that AI Meets (or Exceeds) Your Objectives

Early Adoption Isn’t Enough—It’s Time to Scale

Early wins are easy. Enterprise-wide transformation is hard. But management consulting firms are uniquely positioned to lead because they’re not just dabbling—they’re incorporating genAI into high-value workflows like research, due diligence, and summarization. They’re also investing in consistent, deep training and taking a deliberate approach to data quality, transparency, and ethical safeguards​. This shows that genAI is being actively embedded into core consulting processes, not just peripheral tasks. But even among these early adopters, scaling to consistent, enterprise-wide value demands more than tool access.

Strategic implementation is key. Therefore, leading firms are building deliberate frameworks around:

• Consistent, firm-wide training
• Ethical safeguards, including AI transparency, auditability, and data quality
• Workflow integration that aligns genAI use with high-impact, client-facing work

For firms not yet at this stage, the risk is falling into the “pilot trap”—where genAI is present, but its value remains under-leveraged. Adapting now means moving beyond adoption to operationalization and integrating genAI into the core of how your firm works, delivers, and competes.​

MORE: How are LLMs and Generative AI Changing the Future of Finding Insights from Data?

Standing Still Means Falling Behind

Every day of inaction is a day competitors are becoming sharper, faster, and of more value to clients. In a fast-moving market, firms that fail to move beyond experimentation are falling behind.

Consultants who use genAI daily are already reporting higher productivity (82%) and greater job satisfaction (53%)–transforming how they work and how they feel about the work they do. Firms that aren’t investing in these capabilities and hesitate to use genAI in workflows risk more than inefficiency. They risk losing talent and may struggle to meet client expectations.

Savvy firms in a tight market aren’t just exploring genAI—they’re operationalizing it. They're setting new expectations for delivery, value, and pace.

Waiting, in this context, is a strategic risk—one that partners, and firm leaders can’t afford to take lightly.

MORE: Exploring Credible Data for AI with LexisNexis

What Partners Must Do Next

If you’re responsible for driving revenue, building your brand, and winning the next big client, you need a genAI strategy now.

Not just for tech’s sake. But to:

• Deliver more strategic insights
• Win higher-value work
• Elevate your practice’s position in the market

The firms that act now to ingrain genAI into their identity will not only stand out from those that don’t but may also define the next era of consulting.

Want to see how your peers are staying ahead?
Download the full report today: Setting the Pace: How Management Consultants Are Leading the genAI Revolution