New Delhi, June 16 : Primus Partners has published its latest thought leadership report, “Capability is the New Currency of Consulting”, that delves into how the consulting industry is evolving with helping organisations build lasting capabilities, drive long-term value, and sustain transformation.
According to this report, the consulting landscape is transforming as AI and evolving client expectations reshape how consulting firms engage with clients and deliver value. Clients today are increasingly looking for partners who can help build internal capabilities and drive long-term transformation.
The report further highlights that consulting engagements are no longer judged solely by the quality of recommendations but by the extent to which they strengthen an organisation’s internal capabilities. It reflects a growing shift towards helping organisations to develop their own skills, systems, and capabilities to lead and sustain change independently.
Commenting on the findings, Davinder Sandhu, Co-founder and Chairman at Primus Partners, said:
“True transformation happens when knowledge is embedded within organisations and teams are empowered to lead independently. The future of consulting lies not in solving problems on behalf of clients, but in helping them build the capabilities needed to sustain progress long after an engagement ends. As the industry evolves, success will increasingly be measured by the strength of the institutions, systems, and leaders we help create, rather than the number of projects we deliver.”
Aarti Harbhajanka, Co-founder, and Managing Director at Primus Partners added:
“Consulting is at an inflection point. As AI makes knowledge more accessible, clients are increasingly looking for partners who can build lasting organisational capability rather than create dependency. Having spent over two decades in consulting and helped build Primus Partners over the last six years, I have seen this shift firsthand—from delivering advice to enabling long-term transformation. The CULT Index reflects this evolution by providing a practical framework to measure how organisations build Capability, Understanding, Leadership, and Transformation, and create sustainable value over time.”
The report positions capability-building as a strategic imperative for organisations seeking long-term resilience and competitiveness. It puts a strong emphasis on building knowledge within teams, leveraging technology to strengthen decision-making, and creating learning ecosystems that enable continuous capability development. According to the report, consulting firms that successfully transfer knowledge and build self-sustaining institutions will be best placed to deliver enduring impact in the years ahead.
A key feature of the report is the introduction of the CULT Index, a framework that measures four critical dimensions, that are; Capability, Understanding, Leadership, and Transformation. Designed to help organisations assess and strengthen their long-term capability-building efforts, the CULT Index helps organisations evaluate capability maturity, identify areas requiring intervention, and measure whether knowledge, leadership, and institutional strengths are compounding over time. The report suggests that such frameworks will become increasingly important as organisations seek to align talent development, organisational performance, and long-term transformation outcomes.
The report calls for a shift to more sustainable, partnership-driven models that strengthen institutions, empower people and create lasting value beyond individual engagements, by putting capability creation at the heart of consulting and organisational development.