As a result, BCG has been responsible for a number of major management consulting innovations and concepts in the 38 years of its existence, including "time-based competition," "deconstruction" and "capability-driven competitive strategies." One of BCG's best-known historical contributions is the "BCG Growth-Share Matrix," which explains the relationship between a company's profitability and its market share. BCG uses tools and innovations such as these to help its clients gain a competitive advantage. The firm has distinguished itself by encouraging senior executives to think beyond the status quo and to embrace strategic change.

No ping pong, but plenty of success

Consultants report that BCG is an "intensely collegial" firm with a "good intellectual and social balance." The people within the firm, insiders say, are "very talented" with "analytics and communication," and they "really respect those who use break-through thinking." One employee explains that, "while BCG is a strong brand name, the firm is still small enough that individuals matter." Another consultant advises, "you need to be able to work equally well as an individual and as a team member" to excel at the firm. The firm is "fun," insiders say, "but not ping pong tables dot-com type of fun." "You do not see the competition" with your peers, says one source, because "we all have an absolute bar that we?re trying to reach." And if you?re looking for prestige, BCG is hard to match. The firm "is akin to a post-doctoral program for MBAs," employees agree. This means, for some, that "the pressure to perform is not fun," and "the pace of the work creates stress." If your goal is to get ahead, then politicking won't help very much. As one employee counsels, "You make your reputation with the work you do."

The compensation is well worth it

Prior to the meltdown of Internet companies in 2000, BCG found itself in the same position as many other consulting firms -- good people were leaving for startups, and the competition for talent was fierce. "About a year ago," one consultant explains, "we went through a compensation adjustment where we moved levels upward" to retain more people. Then, as fate would have it, the lure of the web companies began to vanish, and retention issues at firms like BCG began to disappear. "Satisfaction with compensation has increased a lot," understates one source. When it comes to augmenting the compensation with bonuses, insiders explain, "we could benefit from having slightly more feedback with regard to how the number was arrived at." One consultant says that the "bonus is determined mainly by individual performance," while others add that, in addition to the yearly bonus, there is a "profit-sharing and retirement plan, whereby 15 percent of the last year's compensation is put toward your retirement fund." Although the 15 percent is not guaranteed, insiders say that the firm has typically offered at or around that level.

Keeping an eye on the work hours Weekly hours at BCG can be "long" at times, but for the most part, they are "manageable." Insiders say that "55 hours per week is the average," and "only occasionally does it get as high as 80 hours per week." One employee explains, "I don't see people putting in 100-hour weeks," while another adds that "if a project goes over a certain threshold, it gets flagged and the manager of that project is called upon to explain why the team is working so hard." More experienced employees warn that "the hours creep up when you are a project leader or project manager," but even they agree that for first- and second-year consultants, the expectation is around "55 hours per week." As one consultant explains, "If we need to bring in additional resources to lighten the load, we will. The initial presumption is that it's not the consultant's fault."

Not exactly incestuous