The Big Con

How the Consulting Industry Weakens our Businesses, Infantilizes our Governments and Warps our Economies

De: Mariana Mazzucato, Rosie Collington

Narrado por: Amy Finegan

Brought to you by Penguin.

There is an entrenched relationship between the consulting industry and the way business and government are managed today which must change. Mariana Mazzucato and Rosie Collington show that our economies' reliance on companies such as McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Company, PwC, Deloitte, KPMG and EY stunts innovation, obfuscates corporate and political accountability and impedes our collective mission of halting climate breakdown.

The 'Big Con' describes the confidence trick the consulting industry performs in contracts with hollowed-out and risk-averse governments and shareholder value-maximizing firms. It grew from the 1980s and 1990s in the wake of reforms by both the neoliberal right and Third Way progressives, and it thrives on the ills of modern capitalism, from financialization and privatization to the climate crisis. It is possible because of the unique power that big consultancies wield through extensive contracts and networks - as advisors, legitimators and outsourcers - and the illusion that they are objective sources of expertise and capacity. To make matters worse, our best and brightest graduates are often redirected away from public service into consulting. In all these ways, the Big Con weakens our businesses, infantilizes our governments and warps our economies.

Mazzucato and Collington expertly debunk the myth that consultancies always add value to the economy. With a wealth of original research, they argue brilliantly for investment and collective intelligence within all organizations and communities, and for a new system in which public and private sectors work innovatively for the common good. We must recalibrate the role of consultants and rebuild economies and governments that are fit for purpose.

©2023 Mariana Mazzucato (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

a forceful demolition job on the industry (Adrian Wooldridge)

timely ... the analysis is startling (John Arlidge)

Collington and Mazzucato have provided a meticulously researched anatomy of an industry not widely understood by those outside it. They have explained complex ideas and processes in clear terms, and brought them to life with a rich and engaging narrative style. They have eschewed a simple narrow moral attack on a few parasitic firms in favor of a clear-eyed view of the industry's origins and drivers, and they have outlined the stakes for the future in no uncertain terms. That last is the most important. The Big Con may present itself as an exposé of the consulting industry, but behind it lies a bigger and more urgent warning to reshape social priorities in an age of crisis. (Nathan Akehurst)

Their point is that the great problem with the consulting business isn't so much one of corruption, but something else: consultants have wielded their expertise to give the impression of being indispensable. ... The book is intended in part as a rallying call for these companies and governments (Ed Conway)

compelling ... Mazzucato and Collington examine how this astonishing global rise in consultancy services came about. The clue is in the book's name-the big con ... the confidence trick arises from the ability to create an impression of value. ... Mazzucato and Collington are ready with what needs to be done: a new vision for the civil service; invest in internal government capacity and capability creation; embed learning and evaluation into contracts; and mandate transparency and exposure of conflicting interest. (Michael Marmot)

As the title of this book implies, consulting is, at least in part, a confidence trick. A consultant's job is to convince anxious customers that they have the answers, whether or not that's true. (Hettie O’Brien)

powerful ... The authors provide countless convincing examples of the danger of public overreliance on the consulting industry ... The Big Con puts forward a forceful argument about an issue about which most ordinary people know little but - given the enormous influence of the consulting industry - have a right to understand and scrutinise. An effective, important and highly readable book. (Hilary Lamb)

The Big Con of the book's title is not a crime; it's a confidence trick. Consultancies and outsourcers, Mazzucato argues, know less than they claim, cost more than they seem to, and - over the long term - prevent the public sector developing in-house capabilities (Henry Mance)

We are effectively devolving decision-making to people who are doubly unelected in many cases and whose own interests may diverge fairly dramatically from the collective interest or the interest that government is supposed to be pursuing. (Rory Sutherland)

a good explanation of the competence crisis

should be read is very interesting. especially if you work in a role where specialised knowledge is needed

Loved the book

The destruction consultancies have caused is just astonishing. The big four are a risk to a stable democracy

A bit superficial, but interesting

As I'm working in consulting, it was an interesting read. Lots of fair criticism for the industry, but the conclusion about the 'con' may be often too strong. She only notices the big scandals and the problems with the consulting industry, and these are fair points, but similar points could be noticed about any area, and in particular academia where Mazzucato works.

The subject

The Outlook for my children is scary and the world is very scary and dark.

Not much in depth - many low-ball critics

This is not a very nuanced approach to reviewing an entire industry. Many of the arguments revolve around the amount of money that is being spent on consultants, and few arguments show how consulting advice was implemented compared to business advice. Of course you can find mistakes made by consultants, but so can we in any other industry. Furthermore, would the business really have done better? I'm not sure from reading this book.