McKinsey's Marvin Bower: Vision, Leadership, and the Creation of Management Consulting (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Born in 1903, Marvin Bower lived in one of the few houses in this country that had electric light..." (more)
Key Phrases: Marvin Bower, New York, Price Waterhouse (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“As well as being an excellent biography, it is the best handbook on leadership that has been published for many years.” (Professional Manager, Vol.13, No.6, November 2004)

“Read this book if you really want to understand what makes McKinseyites tick.” (Business Voice- The CBI Magazine, September 2004) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

"I had the privilege of working closely with Marvin and McKinsey for many years. This book makes Marvin come to life and perpetuates him as a role model."
-Peter F. Drucker

"A wonderful book about a wonderful man. In many ways, Marvin's McKinsey framed the hypotheses in our own search for excellence-for example, passion for values, belief in people as the prime resource, and willingness to let people experiment. As well as I thought I knew Marvin, however, this remarkable book, drawing on the collective memories of those who worked most closely with him, taught me a ton about how extraordinary the man really was and what made him that way. Many have called Drucker the man who invented management; I think history will conclude that both he and Marvin Bower share that pedestal."
-Bob Waterman, coauthor of In Search of Excellence

"Marvin Bower became a legend, not just within McKinsey & Company, but within professional services and the business world more broadly. In everything he did and said, he embodied the professional approach and the importance of values. This book sheds remarkable insight on a remarkable man and on the power of constancy of purpose."
-Ian Davis, Worldwide Managing Director, McKinsey & Co.

"It is as Marvin would have wanted it-simple, honest, fact-based, wonderful stories with a long-term perspective. An insightful read about the father of management consulting."
-Lois Juliber, retired COO, Colgate-Palmolive

"This book provides fascinating insight into the early days of modern management consulting. It is an extremely enlightening look at the origin of one of America's most important professions and one of America's most innovative leaders."
-Thomas H. Lee, founder, Chairman, and President, Thomas H. Lee Partners L.P.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 305 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; illustrated edition edition (February 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471755826
• ISBN-13: 978-0471755821
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #369,450 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read, April 29, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: McKinsey's Marvin Bower: Vision, Leadership, and the Creation of Management Consulting (Hardcover)

Having spent the past 20 years in consulting, I've read alot of business books and always buy a new book with the expressed purpose of learning something new. McKinsey's Marvin Bower did not disappoint. Although I bought it to read about Marvin Bower, the myth, I learned much more about Marvin Bower the man and his impact on principles I had been practicing throughout my career, and without knowing why. This book provides the fundamental lessons on how to do it right -- from creating values that guide an organization to placing customer and client interests first. To me, McKinsey was a side bar, the real story is about Marvin Bower and his impact on 20th century business. As such, it's a must read for everyone and anyone interested in "getting it right" regardless of their profession.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating, Uplifting and Very Useful Book, April 10, 2004

By	A Reviewer (Bethesda, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: McKinsey's Marvin Bower: Vision, Leadership, and the Creation of Management Consulting (Hardcover)

This is a truly outstanding book. It is very well-written and thoroughly presents the principles and experiences that made Marvin Bower one of the giants of management consulting. Even with 30 years experience in management consulting, I learned a great deal about client relationships and other aspects of consulting. Marvin Bower was truly a remarkable leader. For skills and ethics in management consulting, he rates at the top.

The only negative about the book is that it's not balanced. No one is perfect- not even Mr. Bower or McKinsey- as the author might have you believe. And I don't think Mr. Bower was quite the non-autocratic and non-hierarchical leader as the author and others have asserted. Firing a partner because he was doing work for one client that didn't deal with "major problems;" firing an associate and ordering him to leave the firm and building in 30 minutes for a lapse in judgement (albeit a significant one); and putting the fear of God in associates if they were seen having a social rather than a business lunch or if they wore argyle socks sounds pretty autocratic to me. Even if he encouraged dissent in staff discussions.

Also, I don't agree that Mr. Bower was the founder of professional management consulting. I believe Ed Booz of Booz, Allen and Hamilton was. Of course, as a former Booz Allen partner, I may be biased.

Notwithstanding the above criticisms, this is one of the best books I've ever read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended !, February 23, 2005

By	Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract.com" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: McKinsey's Marvin Bower: Vision, Leadership, and the Creation of Management Consulting (Hardcover)

Marvin Bower may be the most influential businessman you've never heard of. The firm he shaped into an international powerhouse, McKinsey & Company, doesn't bear his name, and he never made splashy public gifts. Yet the company that spawned the management consulting industry would not exist today without this remarkable man's clear, compelling vision. Bower or his consultants transformed countless companies and executives for the better. Here, author Elizabeth Haas Edersheim assembles dozens of testimonials to Marvin Bower's integrity, honesty and drive to excel. Her book contains the story of his life, but it reads less like a biography and more like a Harvard Business School case study - a bit dry, and chock-full of interview transcripts rather than compelling narrative. However, its similarity to a case study is oddly appropriate, since Bower was one of the first graduates of the Harvard Business School and remained connected with it for many years, even defending its case study method of teaching when it came under attack in the late 1970s. We recommend this book to leaders, to those who aspire to lead and to consultants who want to study the best of their profession in action.