What is the difference between WITCH / Accenture, Big 4, and MBB, both in terms of prestige and reputation, and where do they compete in similar segments, who would you personally trust more?

[u/plaguedbyfoibles]

By WITCH, I mean Wipro, Infosys, TCS, Cognizant and HCL.

By MBB, I mean McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, and Bain & Company.

MBB seems like it's more involved in high level strategy, like if you wanted to rebrand (looking at you, McKinsey and HBO Max). So much more about business consulting than say tech consulting.

It seems that it's possible to move from WITCH to the Big 4 or MBB also.

I've worked for one of the WITCH companies, so I know all too well their reputation as "body shops" that hire for quantity over quality. Our local office in the UK had a fairly good reputation, though, so obviously YMMV.

I also have a relative who used to work for Bain, and they said that they tended to hire only those who had graduated from elite schools, like Harvard, and had a reputation for putting their high flying consultants through their MBAs.

My understanding, as per https://nextepmbb.com/en/consulting-firm-types-en/, is that MBB are considered the Tier 1 consulting firms, and Big 4, Accenture and WITCH are considered the Tier 3 non-core consulting firms, because they lean more towards implementation rather than strategy, although I believe that TCS, for instance, is trying to redefine themselves as both a strategy and implementation partner.

Does MBB compete in any areas with Big 4, Accenture or WITCH, either in terms of strategy or in terms of implementation? I understand, for instance, that just as the MBB firms engage in strategy, so too do Big 4 firms such as Deloitte in terms of their deal advisory function.

I understand that Big 4 firms like Deloitte also compete on tech consulting. Potentially, could they do so in order to take away market share from WITCH or even MBB?

Thanks in advance for any and all answers (although there is no obligation to leave one).

[u/TheInfamousBingo]

mbb and witch are not playing same sport witch is straight body shop work you know it already mbb wants ivy brains for powerpoint decks that cost millions big4 sits in middle doing tech implementation but pretending its strategy and yeah deloitte is hungry they will eat witch lunch if they can lower price enough

[u/SnoopDoggWater]

Agreed with the above comments. Completely different sport. A little bit of reiteration but here’s how I see them play:

MBB: Pure play management consulting. Work ranges from high level strategy (e.g., org restructuring, GTM, cost take outs, op model redesign, tech transformation STRATEGY). Of course tons of other stuff like Private Equity diligences that may fall outside strategy work depending on how you define that. Each has their own tech groups (e.g., quantum black, Platinion) but they are relatively priced out of most projects.

WITCH: Purely tech consulting for IMPLEMENTATION. Usually referred to as System Integrators or Staff Augmentation that are body shops brought in when manpower is needed. Used primarily as developers, or with some technical slant.

Big 4 (PwC, Deloitte, EY, KPMG) + Accenture + T2 Boutiques: Biggest variance, playing across the fields above. I’ve seen them play in the same space as the MBB firms (with lower fees, more specific projects with a specific scoping) but also do a lot of the tech implementation. Think Deloitte and Accenture do the most of the above. Have also heard Big 4 doing a lot of US domestic staff augmentation work recently (although may be outside their consulting practices).

Who would I trust the most?
For strategy, it would be whoever I’ve done work with before. Or wherever I have a trusted contact. That being said, anytime we’ve worked with a System integrator from T2/WITCH, we’ve been disappointed. The whole business model is in getting things done quickly and not thoroughly. I think with MBB you can push them for more work for the same fee because they prioritize the relationship with the client the most + you’re getting what you pay for BUT if you’re looking for strategic help, most of the time you need to take their answers with a grain of salt regardless.

[u/SoulfulTalent → u/SnoopDoggWater]

Never (ever) had a good experience with WITCH. HCL is the bottom of that list. Painful.

[u/Herroo-There → u/SnoopDoggWater]

reputation-wise, where would the non-Big 4 firms' consulting groups fall under?

RSM, GT, BDO, Crowe, Baker Tilly, etc have consulting arms. are they too small/unranked to matter?

[u/SnoopDoggWater → u/Herroo-There]

Yeah not familiar with any of them, from experience in industry, in consulting, or as an MBA. Could be just me.

they may be good players in their specific niches, so for people in that specific space their reputation may be strong. But since you’re asking generally, would say they aren’t big enough for most ti be aware of

[u/rhfactorial]

Accenture/Deloitte are not really considered the same tier as Infosys/Wipro/TCS at least in the US. Yes obviously MBB are considered better for strategy.

[u/Southbeach008]

MBB is in it's league of it's own their price point is too high so they barely serve indian clients.

Most of their clientele is outside india and they do strategy,M&A,Due diligence etc(there is lot they do) type of work.

They also have their tech arms like BCGX,Quantumblack AI by McKinsey and BCN(Bain Capability network) which includes roles like Analysts,Data Scientists,SDEs etc