THE FIRM
THE STORY OF MCKINSEY AND ITS SECRET INFLUENCE ON AMERICAN BUSINESS
by Duff McDonald · first published 2013
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Star financial journalist Duff McDonald uncovers how the managing consulting firm of McKinsey & Company and its high-powered, high-priced business savants have ushered in waves of structural, financial, and technological shifts to the biggest and best American organizations, revealing a list of world-shaping successes and striking failures.
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BTW, two fun books for consultants, and would-be consultants, to read are House of Lies[1] and The Firm[2]. Both are more about "management consulting" (aka, McKinsey, Deloitte, etc.) than what most of us probably have in mind, but they are both entertaining reads in their own respective right. House…
on “So you want to be a consultant?” ↗…consultants: to give legitimacy to an unpopular decision. In some cases, of course, management consultants are hired to give cover to unpopular decisions or even to send a message to one’s workforce. In The Firm, Duff McDonald argues McKinsey in particular “might be the single greatest legitimizer of mass layoffs in history.” “If you were a CEO and felt you needed to cut 10% of costs but didn’t feel you were…
on “Killing Strategy: The Disruption of Management Consulting” ↗…years about the pyramid principle. Some argue that it turns people's writing in "McKinsey" style, which could be even more confusing to the audience. For instance, Duff McDonald writes in his book, "The Firm", the details on Barbara Minto's text, "The Pyramid Principle". He offers a useful critique of writing things in that style. Minto's book is useful to read, but just be aware of the criticism raised.…
on “Ask HN: I'm poor at explaining things, how can I fix that?” ↗