Saudi Arabia spends a fortune on Western know-how to try to transform the way it does business, both in the public and in the private sector. The country has long been a prime market for consultancies. And this is especially the case today, with all the current soul-searching about the pressing issues of the day: Saudization, unemployment, energy, social issues like drug abuse, security, and above all the challenge of moving towards a knowledge-based economy. Most of the major international consultancies have a presence in the Kingdom – McKinsey, KPMG, Booz and Co, Ernst and Young and PWC to name a few.
Many of these companies are highly reputable and do good work. But some Saudis I talk to comment that the big consultants bring in their senior people to pitch for the business, and then deploy the junior, less experienced people to do the work. Whether or not this is fair comment, I do sometimes wonder whether the Kingdom gets long-term value for money from the consultancy delivered both the public and private sector.
My experience in Saudi Arabia tells me that consultancies often deploy out-of-the-box methodologies developed in New York and London, and try to make them fit in an environment for which they may not be suited.
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