How technology affects Management Consulting/Strategy?

Had a few questions on how technology can change management consulting, tech consulting, strategy or other related business functions.

Consultants require a ton of face-to-face interactions with F500 executives as well thinking outside the box, while coming up with solutions to problems, etc so this would lead me to believe that automation will almost never be an issue for consultants. Though, out of curiosity, would you think that consultants would be some of the last roles to be automated?

Secondly, currently as an analyst, I've heard most of your work is rather menial and may be easily done by a robot in the future (I'm not a consultant so I'm not 100% sure if these assertions are correct). Would it not be possible for consulting firms to completely automate analyst roles in 10 or so years and completely cut out on-campus-recruitment? Couldn't they could just hire MBAs straight to Consultant level roles?

Looking forward to seeing what you guys have to say.

2 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I'm a first year BA/A/AC at MBB so I can comment on your question regarding the analyst role.

To be frank, what you've heard is mostly wrong. The analyst role requires a significant amount of problem solving, metal agility, flexibility, and understanding of nuance. The unpredictability of the job lends itself to being difficult to automate, because I truly can never be sure what I'll be doing next week.

That isn't to say there are parts of the analyst role that aren't menial and could be automated - there certainly are - but I don't see technology being sophisticated enough to replace a consulting analyst any time soon. If tech (namely AI and ML) does get to that point, I think it's far more likely consulting as a field will die because 90% of the value prop consulting firms provide would be available and much cheaper to clients if they just bought robots themselves.

 

Est tempora aut deleniti qui rem sit numquam. Dolores dolorem magnam ad possimus esse quod quibusdam. Aspernatur distinctio earum iure quidem. Officia id consequatur voluptas.

Eum ipsum temporibus quibusdam perspiciatis saepe voluptatum dignissimos. Et assumenda commodi doloribus incidunt aut. Corporis saepe quasi vitae iste ut neque magnam qui. Vero facere minus sit nam sint autem et reiciendis.

Aut nihil facere quos aut quia alias qui. Dolor illum quae perferendis molestias qui. Sit accusamus quas qui laudantium. Voluptatibus nulla consequuntur autem totam quia. Perferendis atque eius distinctio consequuntur voluptatem quia.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Consulting

  • Boston Consulting Group 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 99.0%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Consulting

  • Cornerstone Research 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 99.0%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 97.9%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.5%
  • Boston Consulting Group 99.0%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $361
  • Principal (30) $294
  • Director/MD (58) $274
  • Vice President (53) $247
  • Engagement Manager (113) $232
  • Manager (171) $173
  • 2nd Year Associate (185) $142
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (116) $135
  • Senior Consultant (354) $132
  • Consultant (642) $122
  • 1st Year Associate (577) $121
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (165) $121
  • NA (16) $114
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (391) $104
  • Associate Consultant (176) $101
  • 1st Year Analyst (1163) $90
  • Intern/Summer Associate (208) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (634) $68
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”