He was simply amazed. Here you can hear the energy and enthusiasm. It feels as if somewhere they got the extra energy to be able to do this and more. Certainly the last place you'd think you had entered was a consulting company. Then the low hum of group conversations is suddenly drowned out by quickly rising, upbeat rock music, and a young woman in black swishes by, ringing a tiny chime that rests on an Indian pillow, beckoning groups of polo-shirted clients to scamper to the next activity.
Chairs are shuffled, whiteboards are cleaned, even a wall partition or two is moved.
The environment offers the adrenaline, intensity and informality lacking in many traditional offices. New consultants can either transfer to full-time work at ASEs or experience them when they are involved in a client engagement that makes use of one. With IT talent so scarce, many large companies are outsourcing their software development. PRT's challenge, says former CEO Doug Mellinger, was to find a location that was economically and politically stable, within a few time zones of New York and would attract top IT talent from remote, low-cost locations such as India. By providing employee assistance and comforts far beyond the usual benefits, PRT has been able to recruit and maintain a talented staff representing more than a dozen countries.