Megatrends Driving Change and the Importance of Standards for the Future of the Consulting Profession

Celal Seçkin CMC©, ICMCI Professional Standards Committee Chair

Professional standards and ethics shaping the future of the consulting profession while helping to accommodate the changes brought about by powerful global drivers were the subject of an online discussion on 14 July 2022 as part of the ICMCI Future of Management Consultancy initiative. The panellists included Dr. Ilse Andrea Ennsfellner CMC CSE, Anis Jabsheh CMC and Balazs Mezosi CMC. The conversation was moderated by Celal Seçkin CMC, ICMCI Professional Standards Committee Chair.     

Celal Seçkin pointed out the aim to highlight the importance of ethics and standards in the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) period of significant changes together with the impacts on management consulting. 

The business world and the consulting profession are undergoing fundamental changes brought about by megatrends such as: 

  • Digital disruption
  • Skills shortages and automation
  • Collaborative economy
  • Increasing regulations
  • Demographic diversity across the whole world
  • Environmental crises
  • ESG and sustainability.

The megatrends reveal a multitude of opportunities and new areas for management consultants to assist clients. In the dynamic and unpredictable environment, it is critical to ensure quality and consistency, and this is where standards come in as they establish a common culture and understanding. Standards prove to be the common language in any profession related to the key players like service providers, clients and other stakeholders.

At the same time, there is a clear demand from all stakeholders and all players in the industry to focus more on the client perspective as far as the standards are concerned.  

For more from Celal Seçkin CMC©, please check out this video

For more highlights of the event, please visit the ICMCI YouTube channel

About Celal Seçkin CMC©

Celal Seçkin is founder of Seçkin Consulting and Training Co., a Turkey-based management consultancy company. He worked at the Turkish Society for Quality (KalDer) as Manager of the National Quality Awards Program, and at the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) as Manager of the European Quality Awards Program (now known as EFQM Excellence Award). As a qualified EFQM Excellence Assessment Team Leader, he has participated and led numerous organisational excellence assessments both in public and private sectors in many countries. He is helping organisations in using the EFQM Model, leadership development, change management and organisational excellence.

About the Future of Management Consultancy

Combining a series of events, discussions and publications, the ICMCI Future of Management Consultancy initiative strives to promote the global conversation about the future of the profession towards developing a common vision to help and inspire consultants all over the world.

Designed as an “open source” and inclusive platform, the Future of Management Consultancy is an opportunity to seek answers to pressing questions and to encourage interactive communication and joint idea generation.