Gartner Reviews

Pros

Salary and benefits were good, Corporate name recognition, Lots of opportunity to grow as a professional as you face personal and business challenges, Seems to be quite a few people with long tenure there.

Cons

Constant change, Focus on metrics, Favoritism in promotion and employee support - you have to know how to play the corporate game, Your experience there depends greatly on your direct line manager and their ability and desire to want to coach and mentor you.

Advice to Senior Management

lose the cookie cutter metrics and let the sales people and support staff use metrics as personal guidelines but allow their personal strengths to shine.

Pros

If you are a high achiever, e.g. at the top 10% of your peer group, Gartner can give you unlimited possibilities to succeed in a challenging, rewarding and well-compensated career. I've worked here for more than 10 years. The management team is strong, with a focus on customers, innovation and exceptional professional development. Expect to work hard, get frank feedback on your performance and be able to look back with a clear understanding of your rank within your peer group.

Cons

Stamford is off the beaten path for many. Fairfield county is not geared to young professionals. That said, it's a 45 minute train from Manhattan.

Advice to Senior Management

Pay attention to grooming leaders when promoting into upper ranks. Individual performers don't always make the best people managers.

Pros

- smart people
- flat organization
- very competetive compensation and benefits

Cons

- metrics and process sometimes over ride common sense
- work can be in peaks and valleys, but that's an element of consulting and service

Advice to Senior Management

- pay more attention to "One Gartner"
- integrate thinking from outside Gartner, especially in teh web 2.0 space

Pros

Brand
Sales Methodology
Sales Winners Circle
Growth Opportunities

Cons

Poor CRM
Poor Middle Management
Salary WAY below industry average
Ethics are questionnable
Work/life balance

Advice to Senior Management

Practice what you preach

Pros

GREAT brand within IT, industry leader at what they do, GREAT training, well invested training, very organised, good resources available, reliable and honest structure, great work life balance....

Cons

Too political, pays very poor salaries and commission, have to make "friends! and political alliances to advance "promoting your personal brand, an accepted concept!, some horrific management (depending on team) in some teams, beyond bad! just shocking! Very primitive sales program, too aggressive sales program for the product we were selling, poor cultural understanding for a global company, very arrogant attitude towards staff and customers, with the belief its justifiable due to the brand, don't understand how to treat people...

Advice to Senior Management

Treat and value your staff more, understand that even the market leader has to evolve and improve, review your management team, put some promotion structure in place to reduce politics, adapt more of a 360 review and do something with the feedback.. keep investing in the product to maintain the edge, stop chasing the vendors so hard, it will ultimately discredit your credibility with the end users, and they are your business

Pros

Experienced leadership in place now at the top seems to have managed the company pretty well. As the company matures and adopts more best practices, it offers opportunities for those come in externally and for those internally who can adapt. It's a small enough-sized company that those who do well can make an impact and make their own way.

Cons

Little turnover offers limited advancement in upward title movement. The junior ranks in most parts of the company could be upgraded, but this will probably happen as the company grows and evolves.

Advice to Senior Management

Let's develop a pipeline of talent into the company on a regular, incremental basis.

Pros

Gartner's research is well-known and well-respected. The Gartner name opens many doors when trying to gain those all-important first meetings with prospective clients.

Cons

Management is an absolute mess. I was lied to regarding my territory and opportunities available in my job. No matter how well you do, keep in mind that there are two "classes" of people at Gartner: the "insider" group who are protected and coddled by middle management and everyone else. In particular, the middle management on the events side of the business is criminally incompetent. They provide little support to salespeople unless you are one of their buddies.

Advice to Senior Management

Completely revamp event sales management from top to bottom. Eliminate the divisional VP level and let sales managers report directly to upper management. Fire those who refuse to support their sales people and reward those who do.

Pros

Gartner management is very focused on the customer and building a win / win with the client. All resources are available to help clients achieve success.

Cons

Due to each person's expertise, there is significant travel necessary to support the broad array of our client base.

Pros

Gartner offers a variety of opportunities for motivated employees. Although it has turned away from remote working in some departments (Customer Service), others such as Sales and Research support remote working if you have the right manager. Gartner is a successful, growing company under the leadership of Eugene Hall. While there were expected growing pains during his early years, he has turned the company into one that balances the needs of employees, customers and shareholders. HR is supportive of feedback.

Cons

Customer Service group went through some rocky transitions, however it may have stabilized given the technological improvements that were beginning to be implemented when I left. Sales members can be arrogant at times, though this seems to be consistent with the profession.

Advice to Senior Management

Annual employee survey seems to be useless but may have improved since I left. It was rare that feedback was used to improve morale.

Pros

Great professional and personal life balance.
Great incentives and vacation package.

Cons

No growth, No career plan, No grading and performance review system.

Advice to Senior Management

Identify talent and give opportunity