| Topic Name: |
Business Strat in IT Strat Firms? |
| Message Name: |
Answer is pretty obvious |
| Date Posted: |
09/16/2001 |
| In Reply To: |
I'm wondering what the advantages/disadvantages are in working for a business strategy department within a typicially IT Strategy firm (examples ACN and PWC). Is the situation any better or worse than working for a firm where Business Strategy is their primary focus (ex. McK, Mon, BCG, Bain).
Any suggestions here?
For perspective: I am an undergraduate senior with no interest in programming. |
| Message: |
As you might guess, the chance that you work on what someone would call "real" stratgey, is greater at a stratgey focused firm.
In generl, in terms of effect on your future job prospects in anything other than IT, you would wish to join, in order
(1) Bain, BCG, McKinsey or Monitor
(1.5) A T Kearney, Accenture, Booz Allen (WCB), Mercer
(2) AA, CGEY, DT, KPMG, PwC
Frankly, though, even within the Big 5 firms (group 2), the strategy-focused groups tend to hire pretty good people, and most of the work is *not* the front end to some systems implementation project. So, they tend to be ok places to learn some of the strategy skills, although the clients are more often Director and VP level, whereas at groups (a) and (1.5), the clients are more likely to be C- and SVP level.
One advantage the huge IT firms like CGEY and Accenture have, in terms of stratgey work, is precisely the fact that they are often working on $50-$100 million IT projects at clients ... the "stratgey purists" dismiss this as a negative, but I can vouch or the fact that, when a company has a client signing bills for $50 million, the relationships are at very senior levels, there is a good degree of trust and partnership in the relationship, the consultant often has a view into the entire organization and consequently hears about and/or shapes a huge number of consulting opportunities. That can be very powerful, in terms of generating "strategy" consulting opportunities.
In general, if you can get a "stratgey" slot at any of these firms, take it ... but take the offers in the order listed above.
Good luck.
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