Key Takeaways

• According to MBA Crystal Ball, McKinsey, BCG, Bain,  Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC are among the companies most sought by job seekers globally. MBA Crystal Ball reported that all these companies have a hierarchical functional structure. 
• Partners are the top managers at McKinsey. eFinancialCareers indicated that partners oversee multiple engagements for multiple clients at a time and maintain permanent relationships with very high-level clients and entire organizations.
•  Lululemon outlined the roles of its store managers, including managing all aspects of store operations,  hiring and managing staff, driving grass-roots community relationships, and enhancing a culture of personal responsibility and fun.

Introduction

The Best Companies to Work For

•  Glassdoor provided a list of the best 100 companies to work for in 2021 and the list was based on employee reviews. Details on the listed companies can be found here.
• The list provided by Glassdoor included companies that adopt a hierarchical functional structure, for example, Lululemon and McKinsey.  
• According to MBA Crystal Ball, McKinsey, BCG, Bain & Company,  Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC are among the companies most sought by job seekers globally. MBA Crystal Ball reported that all these companies have a hierarchical functional structure. 
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• This brief highlights the role of the multi-layered managers at Lululemon, McKinsey, and BCG.  

Lululemon Athletica

•  Lululemon Athletica’s offerings include athletic apparel for yoga, running, training, and other sweaty activities. The company works with its clients in their local communities for continuous research and product feedback. Lululemon was founded in 1998 and its head office is in Vancouver, BC.
• The company's management levels include the CEO, Executive Vice-Presidents/Chief Officers, and Managers.
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• According to CBC, the CEO's key roles include driving the company into creating innovative products and growing talent among the organization's managers. Details on the CEO's roles can be found here. 
• The company has several Executive Vice-President slots, including Executive Vice-President, Digital. According to Fashion Network, the role of the Executive Vice-President, Digital is to amplify Lululemon's brand in innovative ways, enhance the company's connection with its guests across all channels, and grow its global outreach.
•  Lululemon outlined the roles of its store managers, including managing all aspects of store operations,  hiring and managing staff, driving grass-roots community relationships, and enhancing a culture of personal responsibility and fun. Details of the store manager’s roles can be found here.
• A link to Lululemon's website can be found here. 

McKinsey & Company

•  McKinsey is a global consulting company with locations in about 130 cities and over 65 countries globally. McKinsey indicated that it is a trusted adviser to top businesses, governments, and institutions globally. The company addresses organizations’ problems in unique ways because the company has deep functional and industry expertise.
• Highlights on McKinsey's management hierarchy can be found here. 
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• According to eFinancialCareers, business analysts/associates are the lowest level managers. They are assigned to serve a single client organization at a time. Their roles include researching challenges clients are facing, developing solutions, and managing client relationships.
•  Engagement managers are the next level above business analysts. They are responsible for the onsite operations of a client engagement and they work hand-in-hand with clients and upper-level managers. They are also expected to guide and mentor associates/business analysts.
•  Associate partners are the next level above engagement managers. They work with multiple client organizations at one time and focus on establishing long-term advisory relationships with high-level clients.
•  Partners are the top managers at McKinsey. eFinancialCareers indicated that partners oversee multiple engagements for multiple clients at a time and maintain permanent relationships with very high-level clients and entire organizations. They oversee the work of all lower-level staff at McKinsey.
• A link to the company's website can be found here. 

Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

•  BCG is a management consulting company that was founded in 1963 and its head office is in Boston, Massachusetts.  BCG works with leaders of organizations across the globe to tackle their key challenges and harness their greatest opportunities. The company supports its clients to become competitive by adopting transformational leadership approaches.
•  BCG’s consulting strategy includes providing leading-edge management consulting, technology & design, and corporate & digital ventures. The company's management levels from top to bottom are partner, principal, project leader, and consultant.
• According to Preplounge, partners at BCG are expected to have excellent skills for problem-solving, people leadership, coaching, client leadership, and the ability to set commercial targets.
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•  Principals at BCG work immediately below partners. BCG highlighted that principals are directly involved in client engagements and are the key drivers of client value. Client value involves causing the clients to change their mindsets and take action that makes the clients run their businesses in new ways.
•  Google reported that BCG’s project leader’s roles include preparing presentations, overseeing external relationships, providing status reports, and overseeing budgets.
• Details on BCG managers' roles can be found here.

Research Strategy

• To determine the best companies to work for, your research team made an in-depth study of the information provided on the websites of companies that conduct employee reviews, including Glassdoor and MBA Crystalball. The team then checked the information provided on the websites of the top companies listed among the best employers to find those that had a hierarchical management structure. We selected three among the top employers that had a hierarchical management structure, including Lululemon, McKinsey, and BCG. The team went ahead to study the information provided on the websites of companies that report on companies' organograms, for example, MBA Crystalball and eFinancialCareers.