Refer to the McKinsey case (Morschett 2015, p. 242 ff.) and answer the following questions:

  1. What is the one-firm principle? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this strategy? (Discuss the company’s owner structure and the role of decentralisation in the organisation of the McKinsey entities.) Which role do partners play in coordinating the regional entities of the company? Why do recruiting and personnel management play such a central role in the McKinsey´s management? What is the employee’s role in implementing the formal and informal coordination mechanisms?
  2. Give examples of percepta and concepta of the McKinsey culture. Which type of corporate culture would McKinsey most likely fall into (p. 280)? Explain the concept of normative integration and how it applies to McKinsey. Which arguments can be found for one of the three options for a corporate culture (p. 288).
  3. What is most likely the organizational structure of McKinsey? What factors contribute to the selection of a partnership as a legal form? Discuss pros and cons of the Matrix organization in a partnership. Have you heard the terms agility or agile organization, what does it mean and how do you evaluate the concept in terms of its innovativeness? Will organizational charts become out-of-date in the future and what might be benefits of organizational structures?