4 ms·

> wouldn't that be against their own business interest? If an executive or the board of some company want PwC's services, knowing that they'll only help confirm

by rtpg 2y ago

> wouldn't that be against their own business interest? If an executive or the board of some company want PwC's services, knowing that they'll only help confirm a biased opinion, then is it worth spending millions on them? Generally speaking the point is you hire the consultants to get to where you want. You want RTO? Then you hire them and they will tell you how to get there/how to justify it to everyone/how to roll it out. This is in some sense cynical, but in some sense also just logical. You want something to happen, then you pay somebody to do it! The idea that you would hire some external vendors to... decide for you... might make sense in theory but if you're the one defining the strategy surely you will have made some decision. These are business people, not sociologists. Though you talk to many sociologists and they'll tell you they're often hired in to justify an existing decision as well... With fuzzy stuff like this you can make an argument in any direction anyways. It's all pretty self-fulfilling.

andsoitis 2y ago
> Generally speaking the point is you hire the consultants to get to where you want. So in this case all those companies are paying PwC to conclude that hybrid > in office > full remote?
- s1artibartfast 2y ago
  I'm sure if you get into the details, the answer will be "It depends...", which is obviously true, but also self serving for a consultant. To figure out which is true for your company, they would come in, spend a few months studying you workplace. This would include several interviews with leaders and SMEs that the leaders hand select. Given this study process, it wont be surprising that the consultants end echoing back the opinions of leadership. I been through many consultant assisted re-orgs. Somehow, the leaders who brought them in always end up with promotions and more control. On one hand, yes, this usually gets oversold to the rank and file with promises of efficiency. On the other hand, the consultants are doing what they are paid for: finding a way to get their stakeholders what they want, when the stakeholders dont have a roadmap to get it.
Spooky23 2y ago
Basically, they will take your idea and make it a plan, without regard to the organization. You’re paying for validation and cutting through your own management and organization problems.
- notepad0x90 2y ago
  Yeah, validation, but not rubber-stamping. The validation may or may not succeed.
notepad0x90 2y ago
You're not wrong, but their value is that they do this for other companies as well and they have staff that have experience and competence in the subject matter. So, in their attempt to support the executive, they find out that they're heading in the wrong direction, they must advice them accordingly and help them come up with a strategy back-pedal. In other words, if they have new information, they will share that information to see if their clients will have a change of mind. If the new information (or lack of one) won't change minds, then they will submit their advise in support of what they were hired to do to begin with. These consulting firms, on their own, have had an enormous impact in shaping entire economies and countries. They are not mere props, supporting the ego of an executive. A lot of times, it is the entire board that hires them, or their report by the CEO is presented to the board, not one person. if the outcome is undesirable, they will lose credibility the next time they're used at that company.
- rtpg 2y ago
  I appreciate this theory, but even from the top 4 management consultant firms I've found that many consultants I've met have fairly surface level understanding of things. My super cynical take is that the people who end up in management consulting are people who really liked making powerpoint slides in school. Just a continuation of what they did all through high school and university. Homework, as a job. I only half believe this

by rtpg 2y ago

andsoitis 2y ago

> Generally speaking the point is you hire the consultants to get to where you want. So in this case all those companies are paying PwC to conclude that hybrid > in office > full remote?

s1artibartfast 2y ago
I'm sure if you get into the details, the answer will be "It depends...", which is obviously true, but also self serving for a consultant. To figure out which is true for your company, they would come in, spend a few months studying you workplace. This would include several interviews with leaders and SMEs that the leaders hand select. Given this study process, it wont be surprising that the consultants end echoing back the opinions of leadership. I been through many consultant assisted re-orgs. Somehow, the leaders who brought them in always end up with promotions and more control. On one hand, yes, this usually gets oversold to the rank and file with promises of efficiency. On the other hand, the consultants are doing what they are paid for: finding a way to get their stakeholders what they want, when the stakeholders dont have a roadmap to get it.

Spooky23 2y ago

Basically, they will take your idea and make it a plan, without regard to the organization. You’re paying for validation and cutting through your own management and organization problems.

notepad0x90 2y ago
Yeah, validation, but not rubber-stamping. The validation may or may not succeed.

notepad0x90 2y ago

You're not wrong, but their value is that they do this for other companies as well and they have staff that have experience and competence in the subject matter. So, in their attempt to support the executive, they find out that they're heading in the wrong direction, they must advice them accordingly and help them come up with a strategy back-pedal. In other words, if they have new information, they will share that information to see if their clients will have a change of mind. If the new information (or lack of one) won't change minds, then they will submit their advise in support of what they were hired to do to begin with. These consulting firms, on their own, have had an enormous impact in shaping entire economies and countries. They are not mere props, supporting the ego of an executive. A lot of times, it is the entire board that hires them, or their report by the CEO is presented to the board, not one person. if the outcome is undesirable, they will lose credibility the next time they're used at that company.

rtpg 2y ago
I appreciate this theory, but even from the top 4 management consultant firms I've found that many consultants I've met have fairly surface level understanding of things. My super cynical take is that the people who end up in management consulting are people who really liked making powerpoint slides in school. Just a continuation of what they did all through high school and university. Homework, as a job. I only half believe this