Company Overview
Highlights
On its own once again in January 2006 after ten-year run as subsidiary of Electronic Data Systems.
The firm has offices located in about 30 countries.
Perhaps the quickest way to blow a job interview at consulting firm A.T. Kearney is to mispronounce the name (“Kearney” rhymes with “Blarney”). And it’s an interview you wouldn’t want to blow; higher-ups at ATK claim that the respected firm is footloose and fancy-free once more after removing itself from an oft-stifling ten-year relationship with Electronic Data Systems. When EDS acquired ATK in 1995, the subsidiary absorbed the management consulting branch of EDS, allowing it to expand and compete with the Bains and McKinseys of the consulting world—but real-world situations ruined what appeared to be an ideal setup on paper. Bankruptcies at major EDS clients WorldCom and US Airways, an SEC investigation, and earnings shortfalls led EDS to set cross-selling quotas along with reductions in Kearney’s autonomy and compensation as part of a larger cost-cutting effort, which rankled Kearney consultants.
In January of 2006, EDS agreed to a management buyout, with ATK’s roughly 170 vice presidents forking over between $250,000 and $400,000 apiece in order to assume control of the firm—a price Consultants News describes as “nothing less than a fire sale.” A.T. Kearney—which offers strategy, organizational, operations, and IT consulting services—has a history of getting down and dirty inside the client’s organization, and its working style is highly collaborative. The firm, with offices in more than 50 cities in 34 countries, is organized by both functional and industry groups.
As with all major consulting firms, A.T. Kearney consultants spend a great deal of time traveling to meet clients in more than 30 countries in the air and on the road. In 2007, A.T. Kearney recognized the effect extensive travel has on the environment and announced a plan to reduce its carbon footprint through a variety of measures. In order to meet its goal of becoming carbon-neutral by September 2009, the firm vowed to invest in climate-protecting projects, limit internal travel, shift travel from air to rail when possible, and spend its money on only the most carbon-efficient airlines, hotels, and rental car companies. Carbon-neutralizing measures will also include increasing the use of public transit and increasing energy and resource efficiency within its operations.