The trust deficit within the consultancy sector is no longer a quiet concern that is discussed behind closed doors. Across all markets, consultancies are facing growing pressure from organisations who are increasingly questioning whether consulting engagements are clear, proportionate, and genuinely aligned with their long-term interests. Many more are concerned over plans to adopt AI, with The Telegraph recently reporting that the “vast majority” of organisations do not trust the technology.”
To say that this is an issue that has never been more important to address than now would be a gross understatement. However, whilst we would never claim to have a solution for every problem, we do feel we may have a possible solution to the growing trust deficit that exists between consultancies and corporations.
A pratical response to the trust deficit
emagine has created a new ethical framework, the Consultancy Codex, to help address the continued erosion of trust within the sector and reset expectations for how advisory work should be sold, staffed, delivered, and measured from both a client and consultancy perspective. But to do this, we must first understand the reasons why trust in consulting is weakening in the first place.
Why clients are losing trust in consulting
Simply put, our experience of working with clients throughout Europe who have deployed the services of a consulting firm before partnering with emagine is that they felt the relationship was more transactional than, well, a ‘relationship’ built on a mutual understanding of expected outcomes.
Indeed, too many clients report having experienced work that feels expensive, opaque, and misaligned with what their organisation actually needs. This has created a sense of scepticism of large advisory firms and their programmes that promise much but often fall significantly short of expectations. Not to mention the lack of accountability as to who is actually responsible for ensuring that projects are delivered in line with the organisation’s core strategy and objectives, and who will own the failures and not hide behind the small print in the contract.
The issue is not that consulting has no value because it clearly does otherwise the global market would not be valued at an estimated $520 billion in 2026 – up from $491 in 2025. But the question is whether it is done right. Good consultants bring external perspective, specialist and transferrable knowledge, and the ability to build internal capability and move complex projects forward. The problem is that parts of the industry have become rather complacent and careless over time - relying on reputation, jargon, and scale rather than demonstrating practical value at every stage.
The behaviours behind the trust deficit
The trust deficit within the consultancy sector has grown because some familiar practices have become normalised. Services are sometimes overcomplicated needlessly, which in turn makes the process of making simple decisions appear more technical, risky, or dependent on external support than they really are. When consultancies benefit from making the work seem more complicated than it needs to be, clients can struggle to understand what is being done and why.
In their book on the consultancy sector, The Big Con, authors Mazzucato and Collington argued that relying too heavily on consultants can make organisations more dependent on external support. This, they said, “inhibits [organisational] learning and undermines innovation”. Instead of building confidence within their own teams, clients may find they still need consultants after the engagement ends.
There is also the issue of what we call ‘capability erosion.’ Instead of strengthening client teams, poorly designed engagements can weaken ownership and reduce internal problem-solving capacity. This is compounded by the propensity to give the ‘appearance’ of an appointed consultancy team’s expertise – created by the senior team leading the pitch – while the work itself is delegated to less experienced juniors. The result is the creation of a gap between what was promised (and expected by the client) and what is received.
These behaviours do not represent the whole sector, but they explain why the conversation has shifted from performance alone to ethics, transparency, and accountability.
How the Codex aims to restore confidence
The Consultancy Codex by emagine is not an attack on the consulting industry. Rather, it offers a practical route back to regaining and retaining client trust by asking consulting firms to be more honest and transparent about what they can deliver, who will deliver it, and how to ensure that clients will be in a far better position after the work is complete than they were beforehand. That shift matters because trust is built through visible behaviours, not polished proposals.
Sector-defining leadership starts with accountability
Rather than waiting for pressure from regulators, procurement teams, or dissatisfied clients, this approach sets a higher bar from within the industry itself. This, we believe, demonstrates a real commitment to value creation for the clients our sector serves.
A more trusted consulting sector will be one that simplifies where possible, transfers capability, explains its methods, and aligns commercial success with real-world client outcomes. The Codex is a step toward that future, and a reminder that advisory firms earn trust not by claiming expertise, but by proving it - responsibly.