Dark Side of Consulting: Four Blind Spots & Why Pete Buttigieg Wasn't An Evil Mckinsey Consultant

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4 жыл бұрын

This video is a video essay version of my essay exploring the dark side of strategy consulting: think-boundless.com/dark-side...
Many of the "attacks" on consulting are based on limited understanding of what consultants actually do. I argue that the fair criticisms (I offer four) are more subtle and harder to correct.
Timeline
0:40: Why Pete Buttigieg did spreadsheets like the rest of us at consulting and probably didn't destroy capitalism
1:18 Introduction to the four blind spots
1:45 Blind Spot #1 - Mistaking credentials for wisdom & talent
2:43 Breakdown of elite students at McKinsey
3:13 Blind Spot #2 - Over-reliance on a simplified organizational model
4:48 Why organizations should be thought of as Complex adaptive systems
5:20 Gary Grobman's paper "A new way to think about organizational change"
6:02 Blind Spot #3 - thinking about impact only as a positive thing and only as something that matters at scale
6:59 Blind Spot #4 - work is central to life
7:56 time away from work is in service of more work
8:26 Philosopher Andrew Taggart's conception of "total work" and why it crowds out playful contemplation
8:54 My hope for a deeper reflection on the consulting industry
Link to Gary Grobman paper on chaos theory: www.jstor.org/stable/41288239...

Пікірлер: 23

@sebastianbucur5135 3 жыл бұрын

Very few actually understand the underlying problems you bring to light. You're a deep thinker.

@StrategyU 3 жыл бұрын

thanks - thats quite kind of you!

@classicsfan10 Жыл бұрын

Love that you mention Pieper - fundamental and underrated modern philosopher!

@chamaiporna.5410 4 жыл бұрын

your video is soo good it needs more recognition!! I hope you keep making them!!

@StrategyU 4 жыл бұрын

haha thanks Sun!

@asdasdd320 3 жыл бұрын

Great insights - starting in MBB soon, good remember these!

@Well_Earned_Siesta 4 жыл бұрын

I was previously at an MBB firm, #1 is definitely true!

@jilliankoshin9927 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your insights. Very helpful, as I and some colleagues have been researching the thinking behind certain actions by the local university management (the VC being a former longterm McK person) and local authorities. (At the cost of $millions of public money, they are moving a full uni campus from a beautiful, very practical elevated site with full access and infrastructure to a much smaller area in an estuarine flood inundation zone that actually sits below high tide level, albeit behind flood levees. The water table is at ground level and sea level rise is already noticeable in the estuary.) Their wilful persistence, which defies all logic and/or common sense, is in the face of 80-85% public opposition and 90% uni staff opposition. Your Four Blind Spots shed so much light on their thinking - or rather lack thereof. Thank you again.

@StrategyU 4 жыл бұрын

Wow. Glad it helped make sense of this. What school is this?

@jilliankoshin9927 3 жыл бұрын

@@StrategyU Sorry I missed your Comment/question, now a year ago. (And what a year, as we all know!) I will sit down in the next few weeks and send you a considered (evidence-based) answer. Is there somewhere I can send it other than here? (Just in case?)

@StrategyU 3 жыл бұрын

@@jilliankoshin9927 paul at strategyu dot co

@matreyles 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this

@629dlalswn Жыл бұрын

Very well made video

@yevgeniypak1220 4 жыл бұрын

I would be grateful if you clarify my question. You said "they won't even consider people unless they went to the right schools". Is it their official policy of hiring or it usually happens like that based on statistics? P.S.Sorry if the answer was mentioned in the video and I missed or did not clearly understand it.

@StrategyU 4 жыл бұрын

Typically, they recruit at a number of "target" schools and typically fill up their hiring quotas from those schools. You can usually apply directly from other schools but you'll rarely get an interview. You can try to network your way in but odds are low without a connection.

@yevgeniypak1220 4 жыл бұрын

StrategyU got it, thank you!

@dheerajganeshn 4 жыл бұрын

Is it manadatory to have MBA to become a Management Consultant at Mckinsey ?! is there any other way to become a management Consultant !?

@StrategyU 4 жыл бұрын

direct out of an elite school, experienced hire, PhD and knowledge/research hires from industry are all very common now

@jilliankoshin9927 4 жыл бұрын

@@StrategyU being holder of an elite scholarship, like being a 'Rhodes scholar' from an elite uni almost guarantees a letter of offer from firms like McKinsey. (Although Rhodes just fell from favour a few weeks ago)

@natemartinez7111 3 жыл бұрын

@@jilliankoshin9927 Could you shed more light on the drop in reputation for Rhodes scholarships? Didn't find anything on Google. Thanks!

@jilliankoshin9927 3 жыл бұрын

Sorry for not answering sooner than this Nate, due to having missed your comment and also missing the note about it my email 'Social' inbox (I've never looked at it so not surprising that I missed stuff). I will get back to you as soon as I calm down from the incompetence of govt in Aust. over covid vaccinations and other stuff. @@natemartinez7111