NEWS
Cover story in the Swiss business magazine BILANZ
1. July 2023
The Swiss business magazine BILANZ focuses in its current cover story on the condition of McKinsey, drawing in many places on data and facts provided by WGMB. As much as we welcome a critical examination of the practices of the world's leading management consultancy, we do not share the conclusion that McKinsey's reputation is in decline. On the contrary: Our conversations with the key executives in Germany and Switzerland show, as BILANZ correctly reports, that trust in McKinsey remains unbroken in the top levels of business, despite the overflowing media reports about alleged and actual scandals. Even less in line with our experience is the claim that McKinsey consultants discredit feedback from the market as false when it calls into question their "overconfidence". We have been in dialog with McKinsey's leadership for 25 years and know that, as in most consulting firms, they deal with critical feedback in a professional and open-minded manner. Be that as it may: We will continue to accompany critical reporting with our insights on the market to ensure that it paints a complete and unbiased picture.
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German SME Summit 2023
23. June 2023
For the fourteenth time, we awarded the best consultants for small and medium-sized enterprises on the occasion of the 8th German SME Summit in the Congress Hall in Augsburg together with former German President Christian Wulff and more than 1,200 guests. As a special highlight, the companies etveture, division one and Conor Troy Consulting were named consultants of the year. The evening was hosted by Tagesschau anchor Julia-Niharika Sen.
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Interview on manager-magazin.de
13. June 2023
"Tangible results are what's needed, not cloudy ones". What is driving the consulting industry? What is driving their clients? In an interview with Dietmar Student, reporter in chief at manager magazin and the most accomplished consulting expert among Germany's journalists, Bianka Knoblach and Dietmar Fink discuss where the consulting market is headed, what types of consultants will be in demand in the future, and how McKinsey's continued dominance can be explained.
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New study in manager magazin
26. May 2023
In 2023, the consulting market is no different than the economy as a whole: it is characterized by countless, enormous changes, combined with a high degree of uncertainty as to how these changes can be managed and where they will take us. In this environment, it is becoming increasingly important, but also increasingly difficult, for consultants' clients to form an opinion about the specific strengths and weaknesses of individual consulting firms. Since 1998, we at WGMB have been supporting companies in this challenge with our studies - practice-oriented, research-based and independent. In its June issue, manager magazin exclusively reports on the results of our latest study on the leading management consultancies in Germany. 1,004 executives shared their experiences with firms such as McKinsey, Bain & Company and the Boston Consulting Group with us. Their judgments form the basis for our analyses.
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Feature in the NZZ
9. January 2023
McKinsey seems to be slipping from one scandal to the next - at least that's the impression given by investigative journalists Walt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe in a new book. The consultants are said to have undermined public health programs, placed themselves in the service of the Saudi state, and made dubious consulting assignments in South Africa under the former Zuma government - an involvement that turned the state system into a self-service store for corrupt businessmen. And yet, McKinsey's popularity among political and business leaders continues unabated. Why is that? The Neue Zürcher Zeitung addresses this question in a current feature based on a study by WGMB.
Read more
Report in the Handelsblatt
15. December 2022
In times of what AlixPartners' Andreas Rüter calls the "total crisis", restructuring distressed companies is becoming a hot topic for McKinsey and its peers. The consultants are stepping up their efforts to reduce costs, optimize cash flows and cut staff. Roland Berger could be the biggest winner, according to a new study by WGMB presented by Handelsblatt in a feature story.
Read more
New study in the Swiss business magazine BILANZ
26. August 2022
In its current issue, the business magazine BILANZ reports exclusively on the results of our new study on the management consulting market in Switzerland. The Swiss market is booming in the wake of the shaking of global supply chains, the mega-topics of digitalization and sustainability, and the uncertainty caused by the Ukraine crisis. Financially, consultants are doing better than ever at the moment. "With the current demand, we could be twice as big!" says Bain CEO Massimo Lusardi, who, together with BCG and McKinsey, has firmly established his consultancy in the top 3 of the leading firms. The market volume in Switzerland is almost 2.4 billion Swiss francs.
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Cover story in Handelsblatt
11. July 2022
The consulting business is booming. And good advice is expensive, especially when it comes to the big four "Ds" of transformation capitalism: decarbonisation, digitalisation, deglobalisation and deals. The world's three leading strategy consultancies increased their 2021 revenues in Germany by around 20 per cent. The industry also expects strong growth for 2022. The market leader is still McKinsey, just ahead of rival BCG. Bain & Company, the number three in the market, is growing fastest. This is the result of a current evaluation by WGMB, which is reported exclusively by Handelsblatt in today's issue.
Read more
German SME Summit 2022
24. June 2022
For the thirteenth time, we awarded the best consultants for small and medium-sized enterprises on the occasion of the 7th German SME Summit in the Jahrhunderthalle in Frankfurt together with former Federal President Christian Wulff and more than 1,000 guests. As a special highlight, Arthur D. Little, M&L and derks brand management consultants were named Consultants of the Year. The evening was once again hosted by TV presenter Linda Zervakis in her tried and tested charming manner.
Read more
Report in manager magazin
8. June 2022
Nothing seems to work without consultants in politics and public administration in Germany. Despite all the scandals, ministries and authorities are increasingly turning to the services of management and IT consultants. In the past few years, they have built up a billion-dollar business with the federal, state and local governments as well as publicly controlled companies. Since 2010, the consultants' turnover with the public sector has more than doubled - to over 3.5 billion euros. In its current issue, manager magazin picks up on our data and devotes a major report to the consultants' business with the state. A story worth reading, compiled by Dietmar Palan.
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Champions Dinner 2022
21. May 2022
"Finally, we meet in person again!" This sentence was heard in many conversations when we welcomed over 60 invited guests to this year's Champions Dinner in Berlin yesterday after a three-month delay - Corona did not leave us unscathed. The winners of Germany's oldest consultancy award celebrated their success at the China Club. The Champions Dinner is now a well-established industry event that offers the leadership of the award-winning consultants a protected space to exchange ideas in a relaxed atmosphere, to hold confidential discussions and to jointly develop good thoughts into even better ones. Horst von Buttlar, editor-in-chief of the business magazine Capital, stimulated the dialogue with an incisive panel discussion, and the mentalist Thorsten Havener showed the astonished guests how they can be influenced by body language and suggestion.
Read more
German auditors’ summit 2022
24. March 2022
Invited by manager magazin and WGMB, the most important players in the industry met at Soho House in Berlin. In presentations, discussions and personal dialogue, the almost 100 guests discussed what drives the industry - from the Wirecard scandal to ESG reporting. In his keynote speech, Martin Wambach, Chairman of the Institute of Public Auditors in Germany (IDW), Managing Director of Rödl & Partner and author of the "Wambach Report", which sheds light on the role of EY on behalf of the Wirecard Investigation Committee of the German Bundestag, provided deep insights into his work. On the panel, he discussed with Elisabeth Denison (Deloitte), Claudia Kruse (APG), Dirk Schulte-Uebbing (DOSU) and Angelika Werner (Frankfurt School of Finance and Management). mm editor-in-chief Sven Oliver Clausen hosted the day.
Read more
Germany’s best auditors 2022/23
24. March 2022
Starting next year, many companies will have to prepare a sustainability report. A lucrative area of business for auditors - and an opportunity to attract new talent. At the same time, the consequences of the Wirecard scandal are shaking up the hierarchy of the audit industry in Germany. In our new study with manager magazin, we indicate where the path will lead in the coming years. And we reveal the strengths and weaknesses of the major players in the auditing industry. Based on this, we have awarded Germany's best auditors for 2022/23. For the second time, we also identified the best universities for the subject of auditing. The Frankfurt School of Finance and Management defends its first place from the last round, closely followed by the University of Mannheim.
Read more
Report in manager magazin
20. January 2022
In its current issue, manager magazin reports exclusively on preliminary results from the WGMB study on the leading accounting firms in Germany, which is scheduled for the end of March. Particularly explosive: Following the Wirecard collapse, many executives are losing confidence in EY, the auditor that signed off Wirecard's balance sheets for ten years. Henrik Ahlers, Germany head of EY, must fear more than ever for the firm's reputation. Dietmar Palan describes in his report what lies ahead for EY now.
Read more
Cover story in the Swiss business magazine BILANZ
By WGMB / 1. July 2023
The Swiss business magazine BILANZ focuses in its current cover story on the condition of McKinsey, drawing in many places on data and facts provided by WGMB. As much as we welcome a critical examination of the practices of the world's leading management consultancy, we do not share the conclusion that McKinsey's reputation is in decline. On the contrary: Our conversations with the key executives in Germany and Switzerland show, as BILANZ correctly reports, that trust in McKinsey remains unbroken in the top levels of business, despite the overflowing media reports about alleged and actual scandals. Even less in line with our experience is the claim that McKinsey consultants discredit feedback from the market as false when it calls into question their "overconfidence". We have been in dialog with McKinsey's leadership for 25 years and know that, as in most consulting firms, they deal with critical feedback in a professional and open-minded manner. Be that as it may: We will continue to accompany critical reporting with our insights on the market to ensure that it paints a complete and unbiased picture.
Read more
German SME Summit 2023
By WGMB / 23. June 2023
For the fourteenth time, we awarded the best consultants for small and medium-sized enterprises on the occasion of the 8th German SME Summit in the Congress Hall in Augsburg together with former German President Christian Wulff and more than 1,200 guests. As a special highlight, the companies etveture, division one and Conor Troy Consulting were named consultants of the year. The evening was hosted by Tagesschau anchor Julia-Niharika Sen.
Read more
Interview on manager-magazin.de
By WGMB / 13. June 2023
"Tangible results are what's needed, not cloudy ones". What is driving the consulting industry? What is driving their clients? In an interview with Dietmar Student, reporter in chief at manager magazin and the most accomplished consulting expert among Germany's journalists, Bianka Knoblach and Dietmar Fink discuss where the consulting market is headed, what types of consultants will be in demand in the future, and how McKinsey's continued dominance can be explained.
Read more
New study in manager magazin
By WGMB / 26. May 2023
In 2023, the consulting market is no different than the economy as a whole: it is characterized by countless, enormous changes, combined with a high degree of uncertainty as to how these changes can be managed and where they will take us. In this environment, it is becoming increasingly important, but also increasingly difficult, for consultants' clients to form an opinion about the specific strengths and weaknesses of individual consulting firms. Since 1998, we at WGMB have been supporting companies in this challenge with our studies - practice-oriented, research-based and independent. In its June issue, manager magazin exclusively reports on the results of our latest study on the leading management consultancies in Germany. 1,004 executives shared their experiences with firms such as McKinsey, Bain & Company and the Boston Consulting Group with us. Their judgments form the basis for our analyses.
Read more
Feature in the NZZ
By WGMB / 9. January 2023
McKinsey seems to be slipping from one scandal to the next - at least that's the impression given by investigative journalists Walt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe in a new book. The consultants are said to have undermined public health programs, placed themselves in the service of the Saudi state, and made dubious consulting assignments in South Africa under the former Zuma government - an involvement that turned the state system into a self-service store for corrupt businessmen. And yet, McKinsey's popularity among political and business leaders continues unabated. Why is that? The Neue Zürcher Zeitung addresses this question in a current feature based on a study by WGMB.
Read more
Report in the Handelsblatt
By WGMB / 15. December 2022
In times of what AlixPartners' Andreas Rüter calls the "total crisis", restructuring distressed companies is becoming a hot topic for McKinsey and its peers. The consultants are stepping up their efforts to reduce costs, optimize cash flows and cut staff. Roland Berger could be the biggest winner, according to a new study by WGMB presented by Handelsblatt in a feature story.
Read more
New study in the Swiss business magazine BILANZ
By WGMB / 26. August 2022
In its current issue, the business magazine BILANZ reports exclusively on the results of our new study on the management consulting market in Switzerland. The Swiss market is booming in the wake of the shaking of global supply chains, the mega-topics of digitalization and sustainability, and the uncertainty caused by the Ukraine crisis. Financially, consultants are doing better than ever at the moment. "With the current demand, we could be twice as big!" says Bain CEO Massimo Lusardi, who, together with BCG and McKinsey, has firmly established his consultancy in the top 3 of the leading firms. The market volume in Switzerland is almost 2.4 billion Swiss francs.
Read more
Cover story in Handelsblatt
By WGMB / 11. July 2022
The consulting business is booming. And good advice is expensive, especially when it comes to the big four "Ds" of transformation capitalism: decarbonisation, digitalisation, deglobalisation and deals. The world's three leading strategy consultancies increased their 2021 revenues in Germany by around 20 per cent. The industry also expects strong growth for 2022. The market leader is still McKinsey, just ahead of rival BCG. Bain & Company, the number three in the market, is growing fastest. This is the result of a current evaluation by WGMB, which is reported exclusively by Handelsblatt in today's issue.
Read more
German SME Summit 2022
By WGMB / 24. June 2022
For the thirteenth time, we awarded the best consultants for small and medium-sized enterprises on the occasion of the 7th German SME Summit in the Jahrhunderthalle in Frankfurt together with former Federal President Christian Wulff and more than 1,000 guests. As a special highlight, Arthur D. Little, M&L and derks brand management consultants were named Consultants of the Year. The evening was once again hosted by TV presenter Linda Zervakis in her tried and tested charming manner.
Read more
Report in manager magazin
By WGMB / 8. June 2022
Nothing seems to work without consultants in politics and public administration in Germany. Despite all the scandals, ministries and authorities are increasingly turning to the services of management and IT consultants. In the past few years, they have built up a billion-dollar business with the federal, state and local governments as well as publicly controlled companies. Since 2010, the consultants' turnover with the public sector has more than doubled - to over 3.5 billion euros. In its current issue, manager magazin picks up on our data and devotes a major report to the consultants' business with the state. A story worth reading, compiled by Dietmar Palan.
Read more
Champions Dinner 2022
By WGMB / 21. May 2022
"Finally, we meet in person again!" This sentence was heard in many conversations when we welcomed over 60 invited guests to this year's Champions Dinner in Berlin yesterday after a three-month delay - Corona did not leave us unscathed. The winners of Germany's oldest consultancy award celebrated their success at the China Club. The Champions Dinner is now a well-established industry event that offers the leadership of the award-winning consultants a protected space to exchange ideas in a relaxed atmosphere, to hold confidential discussions and to jointly develop good thoughts into even better ones. Horst von Buttlar, editor-in-chief of the business magazine Capital, stimulated the dialogue with an incisive panel discussion, and the mentalist Thorsten Havener showed the astonished guests how they can be influenced by body language and suggestion.
Read more
German auditors’ summit 2022
By WGMB / 24. March 2022
Invited by manager magazin and WGMB, the most important players in the industry met at Soho House in Berlin. In presentations, discussions and personal dialogue, the almost 100 guests discussed what drives the industry - from the Wirecard scandal to ESG reporting. In his keynote speech, Martin Wambach, Chairman of the Institute of Public Auditors in Germany (IDW), Managing Director of Rödl & Partner and author of the "Wambach Report", which sheds light on the role of EY on behalf of the Wirecard Investigation Committee of the German Bundestag, provided deep insights into his work. On the panel, he discussed with Elisabeth Denison (Deloitte), Claudia Kruse (APG), Dirk Schulte-Uebbing (DOSU) and Angelika Werner (Frankfurt School of Finance and Management). mm editor-in-chief Sven Oliver Clausen hosted the day.
Read more
Germany’s best auditors 2022/23
By WGMB / 24. March 2022
Starting next year, many companies will have to prepare a sustainability report. A lucrative area of business for auditors - and an opportunity to attract new talent. At the same time, the consequences of the Wirecard scandal are shaking up the hierarchy of the audit industry in Germany. In our new study with manager magazin, we indicate where the path will lead in the coming years. And we reveal the strengths and weaknesses of the major players in the auditing industry. Based on this, we have awarded Germany's best auditors for 2022/23. For the second time, we also identified the best universities for the subject of auditing. The Frankfurt School of Finance and Management defends its first place from the last round, closely followed by the University of Mannheim.
Read more
Report in manager magazin
By WGMB / 20. January 2022
In its current issue, manager magazin reports exclusively on preliminary results from the WGMB study on the leading accounting firms in Germany, which is scheduled for the end of March. Particularly explosive: Following the Wirecard collapse, many executives are losing confidence in EY, the auditor that signed off Wirecard's balance sheets for ten years. Henrik Ahlers, Germany head of EY, must fear more than ever for the firm's reputation. Dietmar Palan describes in his report what lies ahead for EY now.
Read more
We measure.
The success of consultants. The success of ideas. The success in practice.
WHAT WE DO
Since 1998 we have been evaluating the leading consulting firms in Germany – management consultants such as McKinsey, Bain and BCG, IT consultants such as Accenture, IBM and Capgemini as well as accounting firms such as PwC, EY, Deloitte and KPMG. In our studies we analyse their expertise, in our rankings we show their strengths and weaknesses. On this basis, we support consultants and their clients as strategic advisors and as sources of thought leadership.
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Would you like to evaluate the consulting services of your company, measure the satisfaction of your customers or set up a client feedback system? Benefit from our experience of more than 20 years at the side of large and medium-sized management consultants, auditors and law firms. You can reach our study team at evaluation@wgmb.org or by telephone at +49 30 3001 4930 34.
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WHAT WE PUT ON PAPER
We regularly publish the findings and insights that we gain in the course of our studies in text books and scientific journals, as well as in articles and commentaries in the daily, specialist and business press.
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WHAT WE EXPLORE
Our research focuses on two areas: The first is management research, in which we critically question and empirically examine the influence and significance of various factors on contemporary management practice. On the other hand, we address the numerous paradigm shifts to which the consulting market and its protagonists are subjected in the context of globalization, digitalization, consolidation, and professionalization.
WHO WE ARE
The Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Management und Beratung is a privately funded research institute. We analyze current management and consulting topics and evaluate the competencies of consulting companies. The core of our work is the sound handling of figures, data and facts.
In all our activities, we are committed to strict scientific standards. We build on solid quantitative methods and supplement them with modern qualitative approaches from economics, psychology and social sciences. In this way, we want to contribute to a better understanding of management and consulting processes.
