According to McKinsey reports the research & consulting industry is at the bottom of the list in comparison with other industries when it comes to economic mobility. Previously it took well over a decade for companies to realize that they no longer needed to build their factories near water, still considering water to be their prime source of power but now such similar slow response cannot be afforded with the speed of environmental change being far higher today than at the time electricity was invented.  The 4 possible strategic directions that the industry would take over the next years, adjusting itself to the conditions of today’s economy are: First, Lifting on DIY tools, driven by speed and tech infrastructure. Second, Making sense from ever bigger data, driven by size and tech infrastructure. Third bypass the rational brain, driven by methodology. Fourth tap into consumer collaboration, driven by trust, diversity, innovation and creativity. Read more at: 

http://www.greenbookblog.org/2014/04/11/the-4-futures-of-marketing-research/