The Main Trends of Management Consulting in Serbia Based on Research Results From 2024

Abstract

Management consulting provides knowledge-based inputs to guide and strengthen the business processes of organizations. Specially trained professionals provide consulting to various organizations, thereby assisting the client organization in identifying and analysing management problems. Management consulting plays a significant role in the development of businesses in the developed market economies. Today, there is hardly any business area that cannot be linked to consulting activities. The business environment brings radical challenges to business life the companies have to face with and often they can effectively answer to these challenges only by engaging specialized consulting companies. These changes have shaped the areas of management consulting, too. The leading consulting firms today organize their business around subdivisions (e.g., strategy, HRM, Big Data, etc.), specializing in one or more of them.
Before the 2020 management consulting in Serbia was in the beginning phase of development due to various effects of the historical traditions, elements of the organizational culture and economic situation. After the political and economic changes in 2000 there was a return of Serbia into international economic flows, which, in turn, caused a significant increase in demand for new knowledge, experience and expertise, including those in the form of consultancy services. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in radical changes of the work conditions, communication and leadership style in almost each organization. Today the geopolitical crisis and the implementation of artificial intelligence in the business processes represent the main challenges why organizations need the help of a competent management consultant.
The aim of this paper is to analyse the main trends of management consulting in Serbia in the current business context based on a research project conducted by online surveys at the end of year 2024.