BCG Values

Landing a job at BCG is one of the biggest achievements for anyone going into consulting. BCG is one of the most prominent consulting firms, along with McKinsey and Bain. When deciding if you want to work at BCG (especially versus McKinsey and Bain), it is important to know what BCG stands for, what BCG’s values are, and what BCG’s mission is. This article will share more about BCG values, BCG purpose, and as a byproduct how BCG’s values impact BCG’s culture.

What are the BCG Core Values?

BCG has nine key values. Given the size of BCG’s firm, the values are extremely important to guide the actions across consultants and ensure BCG achieves the level of excellence for which it strives. The values are listed below, with more details on BCG’s website here

1. “Integrity: as an expression of courage and accountability”

   Impact of value: Consultants are supposed to act in an open and honest method. Consultants should take full responsibility for their actions, the recommendations they put forward, and the quality of their work.

2. “Diversity: of thought, experience, and background”

   Impact of value: BCG aims to recruit and retain a diverse workforce. BCG also supports clients in their diversity and inclusion efforts (e.g., gender and racial equality). To read more about BCG’s diversity and inclusion efforts, click here.

3. “Respect for the individual: as their capacity and desire for personal growth”

   Impact of value: BCG has a meritocracy and respects all staff (consultants, support staff, etc.). BCG also supports individuals as they grow professionally (e.g., by providing consultants with stretch opportunities to flex new skills and / or maintain client relationships).

4. “Clients come first: we measure our success by our clients’ success”

   Impact of value: BCG aims to provide distinctive insights to clients, and as consultants work on cases, they should always think about what is best for the client. Tactically, teams can continue to push their thinking until they are satisfied with the recommendation. BCG only views their case as a “win” if their client wins.

5. “The strategic perspective: enabling clients to deliver superior results in a sustainable manner”

   Impact of value: When developing solutions for their clients, BCG not only looks for recommendations that will have exceptional impact but will also think of the recommendations’ side effects.

6. “Value delivered: in the form of tangible, positive, and lasting change”

   Impact of value: As consultants think through the types of solutions and types of recommendations for their clients, the recommendations should not just be “band-aid” solutions. Instead, the recommendations should help their clients drive and achieve long-term results that deliver sustaining stakeholder-value. Tactically, this can mean not only thinking about actions clients need to take but also about the capabilities / people needed to execute on the actions.

7. “Partnership: a long-term view guides BCG’s relationships both internally and with clients”

   Impact of value: BCG focuses on maintaining strong relationships with clients that can lead to lasting partnerships; in addition, BCG thinks about its projects’ long-term (not just short-term) impact. BCG also focuses on developing its people to make sure they have long-term, fruitful careers.

8. “Expanding the art of the possible: because the goal is not simply to apply best practice but also to invent it”

   Impact of value: BCG is considered a thought leader and can often ideate and develop best practices for companies. They then roll out these ideas to their clients.

9. “Social impact: we believe we can make the word a better place”

   Impact of value: BCG supports social impact causes in many ways. For example, BCG has studies on specific social impact causes (e.g., climate risk, food security). In addition, BCG invested ~$320M in social impact initiatives in 2021. To read more about BCG’s social impact work, click here.

BCG Mission Statement

While BCG’s mission statement is not published, BCG does publish its purpose statement (see here). BCG’s purpose is: “unlocking the potential of those who advance the world.” BCG acts out its purpose through five key principles that are listed here.

1. “Bring Insight to Light”
2. “Conquer Complexity”
3. “Drive Inspired Impact”
4. “Lead, With Integrity”
5. “Grow by Growing Others”

BCG’s purpose statement speaks to the fact that BCG always wants to go above and beyond to help its clients work to their fullest potential and, as a byproduct, help its consultants and employees grow to their fullest potential.

How Does the BCG Values Affect BCG Culture?

BCG’s values and BCG’s purpose statement impacts BCG’s culture. Specifically, BCG’s culture is a meritocracy, in the hopes of delivering exceptional impact to both BCG’s clients and also employees. In addition, BCG’s values support a hard-working culture where consultants are encouraged to be thought leaders and push the envelope with creative ideas to deliver distinctive impact.

Conclusion

BCG has nine values spanning client service to professional development to social impact. These values impact the way BCG consultants work. For example, the values instill BCG’s client first, hard working culture. In addition, the values encourage professional development and being a thought leader. These values are reflected in BCG’s purpose statement which centers around unlocking others’ potential.

If you are excited about the BCG culture and want to prepare for a BCG interview with an ex-MBB consultant, please click here.

 

Additional Resources:

• Business Core Values: More than Just Business
• Leadership: Where Everything Rises and Falls
• What Differentiates BCG From Other Consulting Firms
• Consulting Resume: Complete Guide
• Case Interview: Complete Prep Guide