Developing Professionals – The BCG Way(A)

This case on BCG provides its approach towards development and mentorship of its consultants
and also about the challenges faced by them who are nearing the 2-year mark of their work
experience.

1. Ability Enhancement System:

There are 3 critical questions to be answered in ability enhancement system

Q1. What is BCG’s ability or people’s portfolio?
Ans:

Professional excellence Professional excellence &

&Flexibility, cost advantage Stability, leadership, continuity
- There experts and - There experts and
Task demands-------------

professionally skilled staff professionally skilled staff

within the bracket of 21-
30 months of work
experience
- They have low business
preferences since they
didn’t have exposure to
overall business but their
own projects
like stern, Michael lao,
Larissa , Eric who are
mentoring their juniors.
- These people performed
and made it to survive in
BCG

Transactional excellence Transactional excellence &

&Flexibility, cost advantage
- BCG hires at entry level
- There are no
temporary/contractual
employees per say but
underperforming
employees should leave
BCG
- There is cost advantage
since the underperformed
should leave and no cost
for T&D.
Stability, leadership, continuity
- All the CDC officers have
very good transactional
excellence in terms of
performance reviews.
- They have a clear goal
settings and the criteria’s
for who to stay back in
BCG ad who to leave.

Business preferences-----------------------------------------

Q2. Is there Talent Scrap or Talent Scarcity?

Ans: There is not talent Scrap but we can say that there is talent scarcity since
people are lacking in presentation skills, lost interest in the kind of work they are
doing, having the doubts on what their future is going to be after ambassador
program, work life balance issues. I think that these problems arises when there
is a talent scarcity

.
 Q3. Is there Learning Scarcity or Learning scrap?
Ans: I think there is no learning scarcity since there are apprenticeship programs,
mentorship programs and mentors are ready to help people wherever required.
There might be learning scrap since people are still underperforming with lot of
resources and help around.

2. Motivation Enhancement System : There are 2 critical questions to be answered in

this system

Q1. Why should he perform in BCG?

Ans: Employees of BCG should perform because of their policy promotion or out , if
an employee performs, after the review, based on the statistics given in the case, 60-
70% consultants were promoted to project leaders, 50 -60 % got promoted to
managers, 33-66% were promoted to VP, approximately ½ % are promoted to sr.VP
within a time window and the rest were out because of their policy UP or OUT.
If they want to stay back at BCG, They will have to perform.

Q2. How should you manage expected performance?

Ans: Expected performance is managed timely by the CDC officers and their own
mentors for feedback and help. The utilization of the help and given resources is the
problem here. The nagging and the introversion of some employees to meet their
mentors has also been a problem. Mainly expected performance is managed by
continues feedbacks and mentorship programs at BCG.
The expected goals and the repercussions of the performance review are clearly
known by the employees so that the expected performance is managed.

3. Opportunity Enhancement System:

The opportunity enhancement system is in positive and negative in nature at BCG. If an

individual is performing well with full interest, it means that his person- job fit is
matched and he gets to grow up the ladder because of their policy Up or OUT. If a
person wants to join some other project and his person job fit is not proper, he will
definitely underperform or perform without interest and they may leave the
organization. There is no chance given for the high potential employees to prove
themselves in the project of their own interest or competency. Pressure among the
employees is high which is hampering the work life balance of employees where their
families are fighting and eventually can end up to voluntary exit.

The organization doesn’t have a competency mapping system or employees say in

project selections which is a setback and eventually end up losing the high potential
staff.
4. Business Model of BCG?

Business Model has 3 parts:

a. Revenue model: BCG consulting in itself has a huge name and as only the high
performers are sustained in the organization, the revenue for the organization is
good and As there are consultants from different fields of expertise like
industrial, sociological backgrounds and the no. of projects coming in high,
R- QP
Q is high and diverse so , revenue will be high.
b. Cost Structure: The overhead costs are very high here because of the leaving
employee’s recruitment cost given that people are exiting before 2 years.
c. Resource velocity: Resource velocity is high since BCG ‘s main principle is
innovation. The cost of this is high and often ignored.

5. Yes, I would refer HR as strategic partner in BCG since I think that there is a huge loss
of talent and there is no much utilization of people’s competencies. The strategies
are all mainly focussed on revenue maximization and not in the people’s perspective.
Anyway they would do better b3ecause they only have people who are high
performers but there is always a scope that high performers are high potential like
madeleine who that her task is under her potential. If all the resources are put at
right place, that can lead to even more revenue generation. I think HR as a strategic
partner can always facilitate the change for the betterment of the organization.