The Weekly Adjerian Bulletin Ep.7

BCG’s Strategic Expansion with Microsoft: A New Model for Modern Consulting

Founded in 1963, Boston Consulting Group is one of the world’s most prestigious management consulting firms. With offices in over 50 countries and more than 35,000 employees globally, BCG advises clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to governments on topics including corporate strategy, transformation, digital innovation, and organizational change. Its reputation is built on analytical rigor, high-end problem solving, and deep sector expertise.

Over the past decade, BCG has invested heavily in technology, culminating in the formation of BCG X, its dedicated build-and-design division focused on innovation and applied tech. Now, in 2025, the firm is signaling a broader evolution: one that goes beyond internal digital fluency and into collaborative, systems-level delivery.

BCG’s latest move? Deepening its partnership with Microsoft to accelerate enterprise transformation, particularly in the industrial and manufacturing sectors. In a joint announcement, BCG and Microsoft revealed a coordinated push to help clients modernize their operations by combining BCG’s strategy and change expertise with Microsoft’s cloud, AI, and data platforms.

Together, they are embedding advanced analytics, automation, and digital twin technologies into client environments—not just as ideas, but as deployable tools. It’s a hybrid model of thinking and building: strategy married to software.

Why This Matters for Smaller Firms

This is a sign of where consulting is headed. Increasingly, clients don’t just want roadmaps. They want capabilities. They expect their consultants to work hand-in-hand with platforms like Azure, Dynamics, or Power BI, and deliver transformation that runs on modern tech.

BCG is no longer only advising clients on digital change, it’s helping them operationalize it. Smaller firms, even without Microsoft at their side, can learn from this pivot.

Four Moves Smaller Firms Should Consider Now

1. Partner Up Strategically

You don’t need to co-sign a press release with Microsoft to form meaningful tech alliances. Smaller firms can look to partner with SaaS vendors, workflow automation tools, or industry-specific platforms. What matters is forming relationships that let you go from advice to execution.

2. Build Tech-Enabled Offerings, Not Just Advice

BCG is not only proposing change but also delivering it through dashboards, automations, and systems integrations. Smaller firms can follow suit by productizing parts of their work: think Excel-based tools, playbooks, or even simple no-code apps that clients can use post-engagement.

3. Train Your People to Work Across Platforms

BCG’s value comes from consultants who speak both strategy and systems. You can’t just be a PowerPoint firm anymore. Get your team comfortable with key platforms your clients use: Microsoft, Salesforce, Monday, etc. Think of it as the new “language fluency” for modern consultants.

4. Shift from Projects to Capabilities

Clients are tired of presentations. They want capabilities they can use and scale. Ask yourself: are you solving a problem, or giving them tools to keep solving it after you’re gone? Think long-term enablement over one-off advice.

The Big Picture

BCG’s expanded alliance with Microsoft represents a playbook, not just a partnership, for modern consulting. In this model, strategy firms become builders. Think tanks become implementation arms. And clients no longer separate ideas from action. They want both, at once.

Smaller firms may not match BCG’s brand or resources, but they don’t have to. The lesson here is clarity: focus your expertise, collaborate to fill capability gaps, and structure offerings that blend insight with tools.

Ask yourself:

• Are we making strategy actionable for our clients?
• Do we have the partnerships or platforms to deliver real transformation?
• Can our recommendations outlive the final presentation?

The future of consulting is operational.

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