| Arthur D. Little | 25 Acorn Park, Cambridge, MA 02140-2390 |
| www.arthurdlittle.com | (617) 498-5000 Fax: (617) 498-7200 |
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The battle-tested veteran
Founded in 1886, Arthur D. Little is the oldest consulting firm in the world and still going strong. The firm has more than 3,000 staff members in 52 offices worldwide. It aims to distinguish itself from its competitors through the breadth and depth of its experience, and through the caliber of its own employees. Its ties to prestigious MIT, a university located in ADL's hometown of Cambridge, only enhance the firm's reputation for excellence. ADL has worked with more than 75 percent of Fortune 100 companies worldwide, in such industries as automotive, chemicals, consumer goods and services, energy, financial, health care, public administration, resources, TIME (telecommunications, information technology, media, electronics), transportation, and utilities. Its services range from design and development to safety and risk.
The techno-consultants
ADL's most glorified experts reside in the firm's technology unit, which has sponsored numerous useful advances over the years. ADL developed of the first acetate fibers in the early part of the 20th Century. Recently, it created a fuel-powered energy cell - an important step in the improvement of electric cars. The technology division not only develops innovative products, it also sponsors investors and assists them in bringing their creations to market (for half of the proceeds). For example, the U.S. Army asked Arthur D. Little to help it design gloves suited for outdoor wear, rough use, and a wide range of hand sizes.
ADL's consulting teams are laden with academic personnel, who emphasize a "side-by-side" method of working with clients. With its focus on lasting results, Arthur D. Little keeps clients coming back for more. In fact, the firm receives a majority of its business from repeat customers. It has boasted 16 percent annual revenue growth over the last several years, as well as an average stock increase of 17 percent per year. Because all ADL consultants are shareholders, they are personally invested in the maintenance of this impressive record of achievement.
The educators
ADL consultants frequently publish in the fields of management consulting, technology and production innovation, and environmental, heath, and safety consulting. Excerpts and summaries of the firm's quarterly publication, Prism, are available at the Arthur D. Little "Cybrary," which can be downloaded off the firm's web site at www.arthurdlittle.com. In addition, the firm offers a rainbow of educational programs. The Arthur D. Little School of Management, a graduate program, offers a one-year Master of Science in Management (MSM) Program, as well as a series courses in business management.
Making contact
In 1999 the firm acquired Contactica, a worldwide telecom consultancy. Operating out of offices in London and Hong Kong, Contactica has offices in 28 countries. ADL expects the acquisition will be an asset to its business in digital industries.
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Painfully perky painter's motif aside, the "careers" section of ADL's web site (www.arthurdlittle.com/careers/how/how.htm) is both thorough and informative. Like most consultancies, Arthur D. Little recruits at prestigious schools at both the MBA and undergrad level. It sports its yearly recruiting schedule on its web site, complete with exact dates and resume deadlines. At the undergraduate level, ADL makes presentations at the University of Michigan, MIT, Northwestern University, Princeton University, Tufts, Cornell, and the University of Pennsylvania. The dates and times, which shift each year, can also be found on the site.
"Arthur D. Little has a very positive attitude about MBAs," says one insider. "Traditionally, most of their consultants came out of the industry, but direct hire from top MBA schools is an increasingly significant source of talent." Applicants undergo a "very long, very intense" phone interview before being invited to the recruiting weekends at the firm's offices, where they have two more interviews. In some cases, ADL gives presentation interviews, for which interviewees prepare and make brief presentations on a case study that the firm provides. Presentation interviews are typically given to management consultants with some experience.
In general, the interviews aren't "tricky - ADL is very concerned with past experience." The case interviews are reportedly more like "mini-cases," and focus on recent industry experience. There are no "mind games," according to one recent hire. For U.S. offices, offers are typically made by the end of the on-site interview weekend.
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Bringing up consultants
New hires at Arthur D. Little are paired with senior consultants to encourage "quick on-the-job learning." Consultants "rapidly" move into positions of "vast responsibility" and are required to travel extensively as part of the firm's "major commitment" to its clients, though you should be prepared to "direct your own career path." Insiders comment that Arthur D. Little offers its consultants "flexibility in terms of the type of work that they do" as well as a work schedule that, while demanding,"is slightly lighter than other management consulting firms."
Open vistas, few perks
The minimalist or "stripped-down" feel of Arthur D. Little continues in the realm of perks. Don't expect lavish frills at sensible ADL. "It's not that perky. We travel coach domestically and business class overseas," says one consultant. Fortunately, "the company pays full-fare coach, so most of us can at least grab an upgrade with all our frequent flier miles." On the bright side, another insider notes that "we have free coffee and soda in our office." Other contacts stress that "Arthur D. Little might look more closely at little frills than some other consulting firms, but the benefits and pension plans are great. This is a down-to-earth place."
Comfortable pay and environment
As for pay, ADL's offerings are "not too shabby," though "performance bonuses are given out in a kind of stealthy way." Insiders report that "Arthur D. Little still has a small company feel," and that management "is very approachable in a way that goes beyond the usual 'open door' rhetoric." Employees say that their "friendly" colleagues make the office atmosphere "egalitarian" and "lively and interactive." In general, people stay a long time at Arthur D. Little because "they earn a piece of the firm, and they feel comfortable" there.
Headquarters: shabby chic?
Although Arthur D. Little boasts about its Cambridge headquarters, the firm may be overstating the case. ?ADL is proud that its Cambridge headquarters was the first corporate campus," say insiders, "but the physical buildings are not nice at all." Another insider goes so far as to describe them as "frumpy." In a burst of raw honesty, the consultant remarks: "There is a credit union and a cafeteria, but in general the place looks like an underfunded community college. So maybe that's the campus part."
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Michael Eisenbud
MA
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Andersen Worldwide;Booz-Allen & Hamilton;Boston Consulting Group;Deloitte Consulting;Ernst & Young Consulting;KPMG Consulting;McKinsey & Company
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