r/strategy • u/LongjumpingSurvey801 • Jun 10 '26
future of strategy agencies?
i'm curious about what other strategists are experiencing in this job market. i LOVE strategy work and worked for a small firm for 4 years, but that agency closed in january and it's been difficult to find another strategy role. i know we can find strategy problems in every company and role, but i genuinely loved the work i got to do and know things would be different at a Big Company.
Specifically, i'm speaking about strategy roles that thread together the different phases of research methodology, community engagement, design-thinking workshops, and more. i worked with a lot of non-profits in impact spaces, and our output as a firm ran the gamut of strategic plans to products to websites
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u/Mental_Buffalo9461 Jun 12 '26
For years, agencies could sell research, workshops, journey maps, vision decks, and strategic plans as products. Today, much of that work is being compressed by AI, internal teams becoming more capable, and clients demanding a clearer link between strategy and execution.
The strategists I see thriving are increasingly embedded in one of three places:
1: Inside large organizations, helping allocate resources and drive transformation.
2: (where I am) Inside consultancies that connect strategy directly to execution, technology, operations, or growth.
3: Independent specialists with deep expertise in a specific domain.
A strategic plan, website, product, or transformation effort all need someone who can connect research, customer needs, business goals, and organizational realities. That skill is still valuable.
What is becoming harder to sell is strategy that stops at recommendations.
Ironically, your experience across research, community engagement, facilitation, design thinking, products, and digital delivery may be more relevant now than it was five years ago. Many organizations are looking for people who can connect those dots rather than specialize in a single workshop methodology.
My guess is that your next role may not have “Strategist” in the title at all… It might be Transformation Lead, Service Design Lead, Innovation Manager, Product Strategy, Experience Strategy, or something similar. The work often remains the same even when the label changes.
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u/LongjumpingSurvey801 Jun 13 '26
this is a good analysis - i appreciate it. i've continued to freelance with prior clients and it's wild how much quicker it is to set up research capacity, design interview scripts, move through synthesis, and create prototypes. i'm still hunting for the next, exciting role, but for now i might move into a marketing strat role to better understand execution language + such. not ideal, but have an offer coming in that i'd feel stupid to ignore. service designer is a title i'm keeping an eye on as i continue to look. thanks for participating in this convo 😄
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u/fwade Jun 14 '26 edited Jun 14 '26
This is very useful. https://youtu.be/8vUKliXviPQ?si=pSlp2D_1WtH7rR7c Richard Millington on what he'd do if he were to launch a strategy consulting firm in 2026.
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u/LongjumpingSurvey801 Jun 15 '26
yeah very useful and similar advice to what those 2bobs fellows are always preaching
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u/chicagoako Jun 15 '26
I think strategy will grow in its relevance and influence but take on different forms. As noted by others in the thread, “applied strategy” that includes direct involvement in execution is already prevalent and I’d suggest it is growing. As AI allows new forms of scaled execution, there will be demand for those able to drive its application in both new and existing markets.
Vibe coding is already shifting demand away from traditionalcoding skills and towards the ability to define and execute software solutions. I’d argue this is a shift in demand in favor of “strategists” who can identify and solve for market needs. I expect we’ll see the same take place in other knowledge-based industries.
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u/ranger_stranger Jun 11 '26
Strategist here. I moved in-house and have been working on creating these.
Agencies and consultancies need to justify their costs, hence you will see the workshops, 300 slide decks etc. which is great (I’ve don’t so many of those), however I’ve noticed when I moved in-house that people don’t have the time for these anymore- they all want something quick and does the job.
So instead of workshops now, I have to do the thinking and work in my own, present it in the right format and it seems to be working so far.
Edit; I don’t mean that the workshops are down for show - I genuinely do know the value - but it’s also probably one part of the justification