Top 5 Cognitively Diverse Law Firms and Consultancies Revealed

January 12, 2024
Despite the wealth of research highlighting the importance of cognitive diversity, primary research into the relative cognitive diversity of different organizations is sparse and often anecdotal.

Using LinkedIn, ViewsHub invited employees from the leading management consultancies and global firms to assess their behavioural traits, utilising the innovative functionality of ‘Team DNA’, which uses the ViewsHub Cognitive Diversity Score.

Participants were asked to review themselves against twenty-three key standardized workplace traits (based on the generally accepted OCEAN psychological criteria). These are designed to be neither overtly positive nor pejorative, encompassing how you work (energy), think (intelligence) and interact (interpersonal).

By crowd sourcing the behavioural traits of these firms’ employees we were able to build a picture of the relative cognitive diversity of each firm compared to its peers.

These are initial real-time results, and the data is updated automatically. This feature becomes particularly valuable for companies that sign up to receive a more in-depth assessment, both at the team and organisational levels. 
Top 5 cognitively diverse management consultancies
Top 5 cognitively diverse law firms
The disparity in the scores of Accenture, KPMG, Hogan Lovells, both of which topped the list in their relative sectors, reveal an interesting variation in the cognitive diversity of those employed in management consultancies versus those in law firms. Accenture & KPMG, both with a score of +40,  set a benchmark in management consultancy, indicative of an inherent embrace of varied thinking styles and perspectives. 

This high score reflects a natural inclination within the consultancy sector towards creative-problem solving and innovation. 

In contrast, Hogan Lovells, leading the law firms with a score of +6, exhibits a commitment to cognitive diversity, albeit to a seemingly lesser degree compared to management consultancies. 

This suggests that while law firms are to some degree cognitively diverse, their approach might be more conservative or moderate. 

This is perhaps because the legal industry integrates diverse perspectives within a more traditional framework, focusing more on established legal methodologies and approaches. 
 
Least cognitively diverse management consultancies
 In contrast, McKinsey’s cognitive diversity score of -58 places them at the bottom of the pile. This raises significant concerns about their ability to adapt and thrive in an increasingly rapidly changing business environment.

In a new era where innovation is paramount, such a low score suggests potential challenges for McKinsey’s long-standing dominance in the management consultancy sector. They may struggle to meet the evolving needs of clients and the demands of a constantly shifting sector as a result of ‘groupthink’, which could have implications for their market position.