PA Consulting – “Sitting out the recession - business is in retreat”

Pros

Great People. PA tends to recruit from industry so it is somewhat different from other consultancies who grow their graduates through successive engagements into company clones. There are therefore lots of different opinions and many, many perspectives that can be gleaned for particular issues.

Cons

Career glass ceiling = Principal Consultant. Many practices promote and promote until there is an abundance of PC's. Some are the typical graduate -> consultant and are content free but very good at networking.
Senior Management have all come up through the ranks. Get the feeling that they have read too many management books and that the chairman still has all the influence. Need to get real, take some risks and try and grow the business, currently retreating from all corners of the globe back to an entrenchment in the UK

Advice to Senior Management

Buy another consultancy, get some growth and use the current downturn to your benefit rather than trying to sit it out.