A constantly reoccurring conversation I have heard discussed about the management consulting industry is if the preference for talent is in favor of “poets” (those that come from more of a humanities background) or “quants” (those that come from more of a technical or hard sciences background). Of course, the best position to be in is to have a hybrid background of both. However, most talent matriculating into management consulting obviously leans towards one type or the other.
In this post, I want to highlight the general sentiment I have observed towards each type, and my perspective on those sentiments as informed by my own experience and that of my friends in the industry.
Poets
In the interests of full disclosure, I am squarely in the “poets” camp based on my liberal arts background and non-technical professional experience. Among us poets, we often talk about how our background really lends itself to having a natural feel for the ever-present fast-moving political dynamics that exists within each firm.
Consulting is about human interaction, whether engaging with clients or internal stakeholders. Since there are always a host of different perspectives and interests to be reconciled, politics naturally arises. By politics, I don’t mean to imply anything negative, but just a naturally occurring feature of the business. Although there may be some stories out there, all of the politics I have encountered in consulting has always been professional oriented. It is rather advantageous to be able to read the political landscape in order to visualize the plays that will best achieve a consulting team’s objectives. I would argue that poets are more inclined to possess such skills given that they have backgrounds that center on the human experience.
Another aspect that poets are naturally inclined towards is communication. Effective written communication involves using the right language to focus the reader on the essential pieces of information that convey the key points in your message. Successful oral communication is all about telling a meaningful story (usually in conjunction with a PowerPoint presentation). In both cases, it helps to understand the nuances of language in order to clearly communicate sophisticated ideas. Since poets generally have backgrounds that involve extensive experience with writing and presentations, this tends to be a strong suit.
However, for poets to really succeed in management consulting, they need to demonstrate that they can handle the more technical aspects of the job. This means being able to understand data modeling in excel or major technical components of the client’s business. Sometimes there are steep learning curves and it takes real time and effort to become proficient.
Quants
The primary advantage that quants have is their natural ability to understand rule-based structured systems. A lot of management consulting is about using rule-based systems, such as a well-established framework to understand business problems and devise solutions. Since quants tend to be familiar with rule-based systems (e.g. equations, theorems, and software development checklists), operating from frameworks often come naturally. The other advantage that quants have is their ability to operate technical tools. Excel is definitely an important baseline consulting tool. However, management consulting may increasingly require more advanced tools where having a strong foundation in coding will be helpful.
Yet for quants to succeed in management consulting, they need to demonstrate that they can handle the human element of consulting, which requires tact and the ability to operate without clear cut rules. This means comprehending political dynamics and becoming comfortable with regular communication-oriented activities. On top of that, quants face the challenge of going beyond rules-based systems and considering new approaches where appropriate.
The Bottom Line
I would like to propose that we change the prevailing conversation to be less about Poets vs Quants and more about understanding the natural strengths of each. Management consulting is an industry that plays well to each type in different ways.
If you are recruiting for management consulting or new to the industry, it is helpful to understand how your background empowers you and where you may need to do some extra work to ensure your career success.
Hall Wang is a dual degree MBA and Master of Public Policy graduate from Georgetown University who has recently matriculated into a major management consulting firm. He has worked at America’s most innovative companies including Blue Origin and Facebook, as well as having done two combat deployments as a US Army Officer.
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