PwC Advisory has turned into a megalomaniac. Almost every leadership communication talks about revenue growth, “getting our share”, and the like. In the pursuit of growth, PwC bought many firms, including the few usable assets of what remained of BearingPoint, a series of boutique acquisitions, followed by the acquisitions of PRTM and Strategy& (Booz & Co). In executing the wave of acquisitions, PwC forgot who it is, and has adopted the worst elements of the culture of each of the firms it has purchased. While PRTM and Booz brought capabilities that PwC needed, they also brought an elitist mentality and little desire to integrate with and work with the larger PwC firm, leading to extremely parochial and self-serving behavior at all levels of the company. It is ironic that a firm that prides itself on merger integration capabilities is finding its own culture torn asunder by poorly managing integration of its own acquisitions.
PwC used to offer good learning opportunities and growth potential in a firm that still had a human side. The current environment is driven solely by revenue and you are only as good as your last project sold. Rather than teamwork and broad collaboration across the firm, there is a growing parochialism as each partner strives to meet their own revenue goals. At this point, the primary goal of the firm seems to be increasing average partner compensation. Nothing else matters. If you want to work at a money grubbing, balkanized firm that has allowed its ego to outgrow its actual capabilities, then join PwC. If you are interested in learning, growing, and being part of something bigger than yourself, look elsewhere.
