This is probably what is going on with the many of the McKinsey consultants. The longer they stay with the company, the more they assimilate into its culture, which, as we have seen, takes a strong rationalizing stand that its employees are helping their clients to develop along progressive lines. The NYT article quotes Calvert W. Jones, a University of Maryland professor, who "crisscrossed the Gulf monarchies in the Middle East as part of her research evaluating the work of management consultants."
She explains the McKinsey consultants' behavior this way: "In the beginning, the best of them want to help, want to do real research, provide data and expert opinions. But after initially speaking their minds [about questionable behavior] ... they gradually stop. They engage in the art of not speaking truth to power. They self-censor, exaggerate successes and downplay their own misgivings due to the incentive structures they face." For those who buy into McKinsey's cultural box, ethical standards are ultimately derived from company's rationalizations.
Part III -- Conclusion
The McKinsey consultants remind me of professional soldiers or diplomats, or any of us who serve an authority on which our livelihood depends. You must often learn the proper rationalizations to explain away, to yourself and others, the consequences of your behavior. Too much independent thinking, too much questioning of orders and you're out.
However, once you have merged your standards with those of the institution, once its image is your image, you are safe -- safe in your faith in the rationalizations that now guide your working life. At that point you can frolic almost anywhere with a "good conscience."
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