Management and technology consultancy Accenture has acquired Kates Kesler, a New York-based organization design consulting firm. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 2010, Kates Kesler helps organizations design enterprise-wide architecture, activate new operating models, redefine the role of the corporate center, make matrix organizations more effective, and build internal organization design capability.
The firm’s participative methodology has been adopted by leading companies such as Disney, Nike, Coca-Cola, and SC Johnson. Kates Kesler’s team of approximately a dozen professionals is based in New York.
The company’s founders and leaders are Amy Kates and Greg Kesler, two leading experts in the area of organization design – which identifies dysfunctions in organizational structures and systems and then realigns them to achieve business goals. Organizational consultants work on the technical and people sides of business to design organizations that have more engaged employees and greater efficiencies.
Kates and Kesler are thought leaders in the area, and have written numerous books on the topic, including most recently “Bridging Organization Design and Performance.”
The consulting firm will be rolled into Accenture’s talent & organization / human potential practice, adding organizational design solutions and methodologies to support C-suite clients. The practice’s offerings span leadership & culture, people experience, and work & workforce, among others.
“Many of our clients were already shifting their operating models in response to dramatic changes in their business strategies even before the COVID-19 global pandemic hit,” said Eva Sage-Gavin, leader of the global talent & organization / human potential practice. “Kates Kesler’s recognized experts and leading methodology are a natural complement to our existing offerings in this area and will enhance our ability to outmaneuver today’s ‘never normal’ for and with our clients.”
Organizations are currently under intense pressure as the pandemic changes how employees work and how businesses function. Many are faced with the challenges of managing an efficient remote workforce, while others are facing the prospect that their business model is no longer viable.
“Sharing our work with clients and building the field of organization design have always been priorities for us, and joining Accenture scales that ambition to new highs,” said Kates.
Accenture has been continuing its acquisition drive during the pandemic crisis. The consulting giant last week acquired Callisto Integration, an Ottawa-headquartered consulting firm focusing on digital manufacturing services.