Dean & Company Reviews

Cons

Minimal room for growth in support staff roles

Cons

Project mix not varied
Location in suburbs not ideal
Remote managers not always engaged
Owners not visible and their long-term strategy is unclear

Cons

company need more cultural diversity... Too much micromanagement..

Cons

hours can be stressful depending on the project, not too many clients at firm so limited scope on what you can work on, managers can often work remotely so lots of teleconferencing which can be annoying.

Cons

Given that it's a small firm, the work tends to be concentrated in a few clients at any one time. The project flow can be uneven, especially on private equity, so you'll have some 75 hour weeks and other 45 hour weeks. Client contact and travel is uneven across projects.

The training program is OK, but could use some upgrades

Cons

The CEO runs this company like his fiefdom, and top management are incompetent and spineless. Work and new clients tend to be difficult to come by as upper management tend not to be well-connected. Most are PHDs in Math/Science and tend not to be managerial types. Besides, this firm unlike other consulting firms does not have partners; the partners are called VP's and the firm is definitely not run like a partnership, with control concentrated at the CEO level. As others have noted, top management tend to focus on the energy business. The more forceful VPs negotiated transfers to the energy side, leaving the impression that the consulting business was very much a sinking ship.

Staffing policies are extremely non-transparent and working hours and style are extremely variable depending on case and manager. During the recession, it was common for teams to be under-staffed, clients were given large discounts, and tremendous pressure was put on teams to deliver above what was promised. Unannounced staff-cuts were common, and these were managed poorly with very little communication from management about the future prospects/plans of the company.

Poor mentoring and feedback except during formal bi-annual reviews. Training too is non-existent and analysts are often expected to learn whilst working very long hours. Representations of the company as a fun place to work and a pleasant environment during the recruiting process are outright deceitful

Finally, the office is pretty dismal with faded green carpeting, plenty of windowless interior offices and jail cell-like lighting. Moreover, the building turns off the air-conditioning at 8pm, and unless you are very lucky you will often stay past 8pm.

Cons

Can be rather busy at times (depending on project assignment), lighting was kind of dismal in offices (fluorescent, resembled a jail).

Cons

Uneven project flow, work hours vary tremendously depending on which project you are staffed on. Firm does not have the strong branding of the larger strategy consulting firms and upper management is more focused on the energy trading business.

Cons

It is obvious to me now that Dean & Company has one of the most dysfunctional management teams out there. It seems that the VPs dislike and hardly talk to one another, and the managers are really hit-or-miss. It is extremely difficult to get promoted here, so do not expect to develop a career at Dean. There is zero client interaction, and analysts are kept invisible to the client. The firm culture is extremely negative, and the fun, laid-back culture advertised through the recruiting process is deceptive. The large analyst team is very pessimistic about the future of the company and is very dubious of certain members of management's competence. Management is not well connected and seems desperate to take whatever small case or free work they can get.

The analysts here are a really smart, ambitious and nice group. Management is passive, withdrawn and bizarre. Only once you leave Dean & Company and go somewhere else do you fully begin to appreciate what a strange and uncomfortable working environment it is. Management's stated intention to not grow the firm and to remain at status quo in size really takes the wind out of everyone's sails from day 1. Despite what they tell you during recruiting, Management makes no effort whatsoever to place their analysts in other firms following your two years (though they will be happy to write you an unremarkable letter of recommendation). It is not their fault, though, since management seems to not know anyone at any other firms.

Oh, also - it's in Vienna, VA next to a highway and a crummy mall. Nobody knows why.

Cons

There's not much in the way of "mid-level" consultants, so much of that *work* falls to analysts
Hours and travel load are not evenly managed across the firm's teams, so don't draw the short straw. Even if you don't draw the short straw, work-life balance is wanting
Unless the prospect of bring a manager at a small consulting firm excites you, I don't see much long-term opportunity here.
Its a small firm, so the usual cons go here too (limited slate of cases, etc.)