Accenture: An insider guide - Gymkhana
Accenture: An insider guide - Gymkhana Accenture: An insider guide - Gymkhana
Culture Accenture is a company on the move, one that’s engaged in a wide variety of projects in a bunch of different locations. As such, Accenture’s culture can vary from one extreme to another depending on the client you are working for and the office in which you reside. Employees who work at the client site, especially for extended periods, will find themselves interacting with the client’s culture as much as Accenture’s. “On average, we aspire to blend in with our clients. In my projects, I want client people on our team, I want them to be integrated,” said one insider. “We go to lunch together, go out after work. That’s probably very typical except on the large tech projects, where you have a pod of people in the back room.” The Workplace Says another, “We spend 85 to 95 percent of our time at the client site. It may be a little less true these days, because we actually have offices, where we can work for clients at an Accenture office. But most of the time, it’s at the client site.” Two recent events—the downturn in the economy and the transformation of the firm from one owned and run by partners to a publicly owned firm—have left their mark. “Because we’re now a public company and our finances are subject to analyst scrutiny, there’s more focus on financials and profit margins than there was before. That has a trickle-down effect—there may be less money for someone to put in a training budget, for instance.” The insider adds, “If there were changes, it’s hard to say if they were due to strictly economic factors or going public and needing to be more investor-friendly.” 28
Another change that followed the firm’s stock listing has been awarding bonuses. “At the consultant level, your bonus is going to be relatively small compared to your salary. It’s mostly affected by the firm at large, and to a somewhat lesser extent by your industry group,” is the way one insider describes them. Accenture has a youthful atmosphere that lends itself easily to making contacts that will last as you move from project to project. “Over all, people like going out with each other after work. It’s pretty young, and there’s quite a bit of socializing, especially when you’re out of town.” “ ” It’s definitely more collegial than some other firms. They encourage teamwork. You get off the plane and you don’t know any of your colleagues. Within an hour, you’re working together. In spite of the youthful, work-hard/play-hard atmosphere—or maybe because of it—employees respond well to Accenture’s high standards, which require a lot of dedication and self-discipline on the part of the employees. As one insider says, “You do get a lot of opportunities. You’re there because they can’t do something internally, so you continually have to prove your worth.” And finally, the people at Accenture seem to genuinely like and respect each other. Good interpersonal skills and a willingness to help are definitely more common than “me first” attitudes. Of course, people who don’t play well with others are probably not a good fit for consulting. Insiders consistently proclaimed the willingness of colleagues in different cities or even countries to respond to a request for help at the drop of a hat. “We have a very strong collaborative culture. If I go on the [companywide] portal, and post questions, I immediately get answers,” says one insider. The Workplace 29
- Page 1 and 2: Accenture 2005 Edition WetFeet Insi
- Page 3 and 4: Insider Guide Accenture 2005 Editio
- Page 5 and 6: Table of Contents Accenture at a Gl
- Page 7 and 8: Accenture at a Glance At a Glance H
- Page 9: Estimated Compensation, 2004 Underg
- Page 12 and 13: Overview The Company Accenture has
- Page 14 and 15: The Company With a brighter busines
- Page 16 and 17: Industry Position The Company Accen
- Page 18 and 19: Where MBAs Want to Work The Company
- Page 20 and 21: Nine service and solutions lines su
- Page 22 and 23: The Company Consultant teams do mos
- Page 24 and 25: Analysts On the Job Analysts at Acc
- Page 26 and 27: • Assess existing technology •
- Page 28 and 29: Consultants After a couple of years
- Page 30 and 31: A Day in the Life of a Strategy Con
- Page 32 and 33: Lifestyle and Hours Analysts and co
- Page 36 and 37: Workplace Diversity Accenture has s
- Page 38 and 39: technology,” says one insider. An
- Page 40 and 41: Travel Most of Accenture’s work t
- Page 42 and 43: Vacation In September 2002, Accentu
- Page 44 and 45: usiness language, so cross-group (o
- Page 46 and 47: Opportunities for Undergraduates Un
- Page 48 and 49: valued properly,” adds the inside
- Page 50 and 51: it. They seem ready to spend a litt
- Page 52 and 53: Get Out and Mingle Almost from day
- Page 54 and 55: The Recruiting Process Accenture ha
- Page 56 and 57: “I would suggest that you pick a
- Page 58 and 59: Interviewing Tips After the first r
- Page 61 and 62: For Your Reference For Your Referen
- Page 63 and 64: For Further Study For Your Referenc
- Page 65 and 66: Et Cetera For Your Reference Recrui
- Page 67 and 68: WETFEET’S INSIDER GUIDE SERIES JO
- Page 69 and 70: Who We Are WetFeet is the trusted d
<strong>An</strong>other change that followed the firm’s stock listing<br />
has been awarding bonuses. “At the consultant level,<br />
your bonus is going to be relatively small compared to<br />
your salary. It’s mostly affected by the firm at large,<br />
and to a somewhat lesser extent by your industry<br />
group,” is the way one <strong>insider</strong> describes them.<br />
<strong>Accenture</strong> has a youthful atmosphere that lends itself<br />
easily to making contacts that will last as you move<br />
from project to project. “Over all, people like going<br />
out with each other after work. It’s pretty young, and<br />
there’s quite a bit of socializing, especially when<br />
you’re out of town.”<br />
“ ”<br />
It’s definitely more<br />
collegial than some<br />
other firms. They<br />
encourage<br />
teamwork. You get<br />
off the plane and<br />
you don’t know any<br />
of your colleagues.<br />
Within an hour,<br />
you’re working<br />
together.<br />
In spite of the youthful, work-hard/play-hard atmosphere—or maybe because<br />
of it—employees respond well to <strong>Accenture</strong>’s high standards, which require a<br />
lot of dedication and self-discipline on the part of the employees. As one<br />
<strong>insider</strong> says, “You do get a lot of opportunities. You’re there because they can’t<br />
do something internally, so you continually have to prove your worth.”<br />
<strong>An</strong>d finally, the people at <strong>Accenture</strong> seem to genuinely like and respect each other.<br />
Good interpersonal skills and a willingness to help are definitely more common than<br />
“me first” attitudes. Of course, people who don’t play well with others are probably<br />
not a good fit for consulting. Insiders consistently proclaimed the willingness of<br />
colleagues in different cities or even countries to respond to a request for help at the<br />
drop of a hat. “We have a very strong collaborative culture. If I go on the<br />
[companywide] portal, and post questions, I immediately get answers,” says<br />
one <strong>insider</strong>.<br />
The Workplace<br />
29