Do McKinsey and other consultants do anything useful?
Though hated, they often provide a valuable service to the economy
If a list were made of the most reviled species in the professional world, only investment bankers would stand between management consultants and the top spot. Sceptics portray these corporate consiglieri as snake-oil salesmen, bamboozling chief executives and politicians with management gibberish and glossy charts while gorging on fat fees. Indeed, the profession was once the subject of a five-season skewering in a star-studded tv series. Its title: “House of Lies”.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Are management consultants useful?”
Leaders October 8th 2022
From the October 8th 2022 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Leaders
Health warnings about alcohol give only half the story
Enjoyment matters as well as risk
Pete Hegseth’s culture war will weaken America’s armed forces
Donald Trump’s nominee for defence risks driving away talent
The capitalist revolution Africa needs
The world’s poorest continent should embrace its least fashionable idea
Just because Indonesia has nickel, doesn’t mean it should make EVs
Economic nationalists are making a reckless bet
Donald the Deporter
Could a man who makes ugly promises of mass expulsion actually fix America’s immigration system?
Mark Zuckerberg’s U-turn on fact-checking is craven—but correct
Social-media platforms should not be in the business of defining truth