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Best
Firms
TOWORK FOR
BY JESS SCHEER
2011
North Highland is #3
5thYear inTop Four Firms
CONSULTING
Volume Nine: Issue Five September/October 2007
T H E P E O P L E • T H E P R O F E S S I O N • T H E L I F E S T Y L E
Volume Ten: Issue Six September/October 2008
T H E P E O P L E • T H E P R O F E S S I O N • T H E L I F E S T Y L E
It’s Bain’s World: Once Again, Firm Ranked #1
BCG overtakes rival McKinsey • 4 newcomers make their mark
The
Reign of
Bain
al try S
ca cus
He dus LU
re
th Fo
P In
www.consultingmag.com
Steve Ellis, Worldwide
Managing Director
of Bain & Company,
Leads the Firm to its
Sixth Straight Crown
PLUS
THE BEST small FIRMS
TO WORK FOR
CATEGORY KILLERS IN...
CULTURE, CAREER DEVELOPMENT,
COMPENSATION, WORK/LIFE BALANCE,
JOB SATISFACTION AND FIRM LEADERSHIP
BEST IN CLASS
TOP FIRMS BY SERVICE LINE
EXCLUSIVE SURVEY DATA
TRENDS IN TRAVEL, TRAINING, MORALE,
RETENTION, CLIENT DELIVERY AND MORE
www.consultingmag.com
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Best
Firms TO
WORK 2011
FOR
NORTH HIGHLAND 3
N orth Highland continues to impress
year after year. For the second straight
year, the Atlanta-based multi-service firm
continue to do so, according to North
Highland CEO Dan Reardon. And why
not? The firm continues to grow about 30
HEADQUARTERS: Atlanta
CONSULTANTS: 2,200
is No. 3 on Consulting’s annual Best Firms percent a year. SERVICE LINE: Multi-Service
to Work For list. In fact, the firm has been Reardon says the firm is eyeing new TOP SURVEY CATEGORIES:
ranked either third of fourth all five years services, new U.S. offices (it currently has Culture, Work/Life Balance,
Client Engagement
it’s appeared on the list. 21), and international expansion through
Plenty has happened at North Highland new geographies (it’s currently in 28 of- SURVEY FEEDBACK: “It’s stimulating
work with colleagues I enjoy working
since it debuted on our Best Firms to Work fices in Europe and Asia Pacific) and the with, and I have the balance I need to
For List at No. 4 in 2007. For starters, addition of new global accounts. enjoy my life outside of work. Plus, we
back then it only had 630 consultants (it “One of our biggest success stories is guarantee the work we do; I’ve worked
for a few very large consulting firms
did, however, have an additional 500 or so the international growth we’re building. and they would never make that state-
from partner firms overseas). Today, In China alone our business has dou- ment. That’s huge for me.”
that number has risen to 2,200 and will bled,” Reardon says.
“The list of clients we are serving as
global and national accounts is impres- After adding three new U.S. markets
“Our culture, sive. We’re doing some very innovative and expanding the firm’s capabilities in
this ‘secret work with our healthcare and financial London, Shanghai, Tokyo and Dubai,
sauce’ we services clients, as well as with our gov- Reardon says identifying and hiring the
refer to a lot ernment clients,” he says. best talent is essential to the firm’s con-
“And as our clients have begun to tinued long-term success.
here, really
focus more on top-line growth, we’re In addition, the firm has undertaken
works, even doing some exciting work with them in several key initiatives and added resources
in the face of the strategy and customer experience/ to build internal infrastructure in HR, per-
tremendous growth.” engagement space. Given our growth and formance management, information serv-
—DAN REARDON, CEO future plans, growing and hiring leaders ices and knowledge management.
is my personal focus.” Meanwhile, Reardon says being a Best
Firm to Work For has had a definitive im-
Q&A On the Best Firms to Work For survey, North Highland scored
highest in the areas of Work/Life Balance, Client Engagement
and Culture. Consulting asked Dan Reardon, CEO of North
Highland, why he thought the firm excelled in these areas.
His response is below.
pact on the firm both internally and exter-
nally. Externally, he says, the recognition
allows North Highland to apply a metric
to the firm’s culture, and helps with the
all-important goal of attracting and retain-
ing the very best industry talent.
Work/Life Balance fore, we hire experience and passion. That Internally, Reardon says the award has
“A lot of companies talk about work/life bal- means we have the skills and perspective to formalized what he’s always known to be
ance. Here, we mean it. Consulting is hard work more quickly to help clients achieve true. “Our culture, this ‘secret sauce’ we
work so we want you to enjoy your down exceptional results that become true game- refer to around here, really works, even in
time. We want you to have dinner with your changers. Our structure allows us to quick- the face of tremendous growth.
family. We want you to have time to give back start projects and adapt to changes faster. “There is great satisfaction about that
to your community. We want you to take your for our employees, as some of those who
vacation. And if you have a family issue that Culture came here in the early days have wondered
needs your time, there’s nowhere else we Because we are employee-owned, we can whether the specialness of North Highland
think you should be.” obsess over satisfying clients instead of share- could last as the company expanded,” he
holders. We collaborate for the benefit of says. “After five years of this top-tier
Client Engagement the client, and we guarantee the quality of recognition, during both great and difficult
We are passionate about client service. There- our work. All of our work drives value. times, we see proof that it can.” —J.K.
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Best towork 2011
Firms for
THE TOP 10 FIRMS IN...
Client Engagement Firm Culture Career Satisfaction Work/Life Balance Firm Leadership
Development Satisfaction Satisfaction
1) Bain & Company 1) Bain & Company 1) Bain & Company 1) Bain & Company 1) Point B 1) Bain &
2) The Boston 2) The Boston 2) North Highland Company
2) The Boston 2) North Highland
Consulting Group Consulting Group Consulting Group 3) Slalom Consulting 2) The Boston
3) The Boston
3) North Highland 3) McKinsey 4) Bain & Consulting Group
3) North Highland Consulting Group
4) McKinsey & & Company Company 3) Point B
4) Point B 4) Point B
Company 4) Deloitte Consulting 5) Crowe Horwath 4) North Highland
5) A.T. Kearney 5) Deloitte Consult- 5) PwC (formerly Crowe Chizek)
5) North Highland 5) Slalom Consulting
6) Oliver Wyman ing 6) Ernst & Young 6) Booz & Company
6) Booz & Company 6) Monitor
7) Alix Partners 6) Monitor 7) Deloitte Consulting 7) Deloitte Consult-
7) Slalom Consulting
7) Slalom Consulting ing 7) Oliver Wyman
8) Deloitte Consult- 8) Booz Allen 8) Point B
ing 8) Capgemini Hamilton 8) The Boston 8) AlixPartners
9) Booz Allen
9) Kurt Salmon 9) PwC 9) Accenture Hamilton Consulting Group 9) A.T. Kearney
10) Slalom Consulting 10) Alvarez & Marsal 9) PwC 10) PwC
10) PRTM 10) McKinsey &
Compensation 10) Grant Thornton
Company
What Makes a ‘Best Firm’?
To be named a Best Firm to Work For, firms were ranked Work/Life Balance
in six categories. Each measures a different aspect of This category reflects how well consultants perceive their firm as
enabling them to balance their life outside of their day job. Given the
employee satisfaction, and each poses its own challenges heavy work and travel regiment required, this is a difficult task. But
in today’s market environment. The following describes understanding which firms handle this challenge can go a long way
the issues at play within each category. to identifying true employers of choice.
Client Engagement Compensation & Benefits
This category reflects the quality of work consultants perceive their This category reflects consultants’ satisfaction with their compensa-
firm is doing. It is not a measure of the actual work being done, but tion and non-cash benefits and does not necessarily reflect which
the more valuable a firm’s consultants perceives their work to be, the firms pay the most. The happier consultants are with their job, the
more engaged they tend to be in their client’s—and firm’s—success. more they’re willing to settle for making less. Such is the case with
consultants from smaller firms who continue to report higher satisfac-
Firm Culture tion despite smaller paychecks. But when consultants are unhappy,
Firm culture reflects the shared values, standards, ethics, and goals this category tends to be the easy scapegoat for their frustrations.
of a firm. Gone are the days when firms would hire a generation of
future partners from a leading campus and hone their skills and ethos
over the course of a career. Today’s firms are comprised of talent that
has spent years at other firms, and in other industries. Building and THE BEST FIRMS TO WORK FOR, 2011
sustaining a strong culture, despite the lack of homogony in back-
ground and life experiences, becomes all the more difficult. 1 Bain & Company 9 Booz Allen Hamilton
Firm Leadership The Boston 10 Huron Consulting Group
2
Economic uncertainty tests leadership in big ways. The layoffs of Consulting Group
2009 tested their decision-making and internal communication skills. 11 Ernst & Young
In 2010, leadership had to chart a new course and generate confi- 3 North Highland
dence in the firm’s direction. The more confidence the rank and file 12 Accenture
consultants have in their leaders, the more apt they are to be happy 4 Point B
at their firm. But the opposite is also true. 13 Crowe Horwath
5 Deloitte Consulting
Career Development 14 Monitor
The campus pipeline is just starting to be refilled this year, which 6 Slalom Consulting
will force some promotions up through the higher staffing levels. 15 A. T. Kearney
However, setting and communicating those goals is a challenge. 7 McKinsey & Company
Handling it well can make consultants want to stay with your firm
longer; doing it poorly can encourage defections. 8 PwC
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Best towork 2011
Firms for
Which Large Firm’s Consultants Believe Their
Work Is Meeting Clients’ Needs Most Often? THE BEST FIRMS BY SERVICE LINE 2011
Firm Score (1-5 Scale)
Strategy
Crowe Horwath 4.66
North Highland 4.66 1) Bain & Company • Strategy
The Boston Consulting Group 4.64 Consulting services intended to improve the
2) Boston Consulting Group
long-term growth prospects of a company
Slalom Consulting 4.63 3) North Highland and the capabilities to enable that growth.
Bain & Company 4.62
4) Slalom Consulting
Point B 4.57
5) McKinsey & Company
Huron Consulting Group 4.53
AlixPartners 4.51 6) Booz Allen Hamilton
A.T. Kearney 4.49
Oliver Wyman 4.49
2011 Survey Average ..............................................4.35
Which Large Firm’s Consultants Believe Their
Work Has a Positive Impact on Clients Most Often?
Firm Score (1-5 Scale)
Who Took the 2011 Survey?
Point B 4.71
The Best Firms to Work For rankings are based on an online survey con-
North Highland 4.64 ducted in the summer of 2011. More than 13,000 consultants participated,
Slalom Consulting 4.64 representing approximately 350 firms. The consultants operate in every
Bain & Company 4.63 service line, across at least 32 different project/practice areas, and serve
clients across all major industries. About three-quarters of the respondents
Huron Consulting Group 4.62
came from the United States. Consultants at every staff level participated.
Boston Consulting Group 4.59 Below is a breakdown of participants, by staff level.
Crowe Horwath 4.52
PwC 4.49
Booz & Company 4.49 11%
Alvarez & Marsal 4.47 Partner/VP 32%
13%
2011 Survey Average..................................................4.37 Director/Manager
Senior/Experienced
Which Large Firms Have The Highest Morale? Consultant 16%
Firm Score (1-5 Scale) Consultant/Recent MBA
28%
Slalom Consulting 4.68
Bain & Company 4.55 Entry Level/Analyst
Crowe Horwath (formerly Crowe Chizek) 4.50
North Highland 4.47
The Boston Consulting Group 4.44
Point B 4.33
Infosys Consulting 4.31
PwC 4.118
McKinsey & Company 4.17
Alvarez & Marsal 4.12
2011 Survey Average................................................ 3.89
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