History Of ICMCA
The Institute of Certified Management Consultants of Alberta (ICMCA) is the professional body of the Certified Management Consultants. As an Institute we are responsible for upholding the knowledge, competency and ethical standards of practice for Registrants – both certified and non-certified, and also public and client protection against poor management consulting practices by our registrants.
The Alberta Institute was created in 1974 and structured as a Not-for-Profit Society under the Alberta Society Act.
In 1991, ICMCA became a professional institute under the terms of the Professional and Occupational Associations Registration Act (POARA) of Alberta. This is currently within the authority of Alberta Labour and Immigration.
Canadian management consultants have a rich history spanning more than 50 years.
The origin of the field began prior to WWII and was developed from the industrial engineering profession. Frederick W Taylor is viewed as the pioneer of management consulting, specifically for his approach and early contributions to the scientific approach of management consulting. When he died in 1918, Taylor had inspired many individuals to expand his work in the field.
The Second World War brought many opportunities for growth for management consultants. Canadian opportunities arose with both the private and government sectors and encouraged the employment of new strategies and techniques in the field. 1939 marked a vital time for management consulting in Canada; during this time, chartered accountants (CA’s) began to recognize the importance of management consulting and decided that it would be a valued additional service to offer in their firms. Chartered Accountants became involved in management consulting as a way to been as a reputable adviser to their clients, as new management techniques such as cost controls and budget planning became more popular.
In 1963, after many years of committee work by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Quebec, and meetings between senior representatives of the largest accounting firms and major consulting practices, it was agreed that there was much to gain by working together to build and standardize the emerging profession of management consulting. This group created in 1963 the Canadian Association of Management Consulting (CAMC), and then started to create the individual Professional Institutes in various provinces across Canada. For further interest, please read History of the First 25 years of CAMC.
