Beware Management Consultants
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
A satirical fable warns that management consultants often create top-heavy, failing organizations.
Iceland's website tells a fable about two rowing teams: the Green team has 7 rowers and 1 captain; the Red team has 7 captains and 1 rower. After the Green team wins, consultants restructure the Red team into 4 Captains, 2 Managers, 1 Senior Director, and a rower. The next year, the Green team wins by 2 miles. The Red team fires the rower, pays bonuses to leadership, and outsources rowing to India. The story is part of Iceland's 'The Dark Ages' section, recounting the company's decline after founder Malcolm Walker was ousted in 2001 and a new management team hired consultants.
What commenters are saying
Commenters largely applaud the fable as a critique of management consultants and top-heavy organizations. Several note Iceland's founder Malcolm Walker posted it after being ousted and later returning. The thread also discusses Dr Bronner's soap as another idiosyncratic private company, with comments on its founder's history and unconventional marketing. Some lament that similar consultant-driven failures keep happening, and one commenter shares that despite their company's AI-driven efficiency gains, the board still hired consultants to deliver 'efficiencies'.