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 In 1933, the arrival of Marvin Bower provided James O. McKinsey with a strong advocate and a fellow visionary. Bower held both a J.D. and an M.B.A. from Harvard University. He adamantly believed that management consulting should be held to the same high standards for professional conduct and performance as law and medicine.
Following Mac's early death, Bower began to carefully shape the firm into its present form by insisting on a few core principles:
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Client interests must be placed before those of
the firm. |
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Engagements should only be undertaken when the value to the client was expected to exceed
the
firm's fees. |
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The firm's ownership should be restricted to
active partners. |
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Firm members must be professionals trained and
motivated to do outstanding work and
make a
permanent career with the firm. |
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the term "management consulting" began to replace "management engineering," and the professional management consultant was born.
Bower, who later became managing director, served clients
until the late 1980s and remained a valued friend and counselor to the firm
until his death in 2003. To read more about how Bower shaped McKinsey, see
"Consulting Innovator Marvin Bower” part 1 (PDF - 308 KB) & part 2 (PDF - 292 KB), Investor's Business Daily, November 9, 2000.
1940s: A War’s Impact 
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