ReD Associates Reviews

1) Lack of rigor/substance: The work can be demanding and engaging, but it’s based on often flimsy application of a few social science theories and methods. It's largely just “expensively rephrasing what people already know” and ginning up a few (often thinly) fieldwork-sourced truisms to hang strategic recommendations on. While there is a bit of an art (if not a science) to this, there’s an Emperor’s New Clothes quality to the whole enterprise. The partners have done a pretty good job getting executives to buy pricey market research & strategy projects, in part by projecting a depth that isn’t there. 2) Botox: ReD is notorious for this-- at times plumping up credentials and expertise, and presenting itself as having a bunch of anthropologists, sociologists, etc. on staff when there are at best a handful of these. Most staff are social science/humanities graduates straight out of college or master’s programs with a bit of work experience. 3) Leadership faffing about re: Cognizant: Years into the Cognizant partnership it’s still unclear how to make it work— or if it can. Leadership has shifted the strategy haphazardly to try to figure this out, but with little to show for their efforts so far beyond a lot of dead end work and bureaucratic wrangling for staff. Leadership even brought in highly paid Technologists with irrelevant backgrounds (satellites, etc.) to help bridge the gap between ReD and Cognizant... just kind of bizarre decision-making based on a category confusion re: what Technology and Digital and IT mean here. These are just a couple of the reasons why the prognosis doesn’t look great regardless of whether the acquisition actually happens. All of the flailing has taken a toll on morale. 4) Mild (to moderate?) racism: While the company tends to lean politically and culturally Left, you might have to endure conversations about the merits of The Bell Curve, the scourge of political correctness, or the word "negro" with some partners; or roll your eyes discreetly at a partner who traffics in racist metaphors and stereotypes and unironically complains about having too many racist friends in nyc; or educate another one about how dark skin comes in different shades... among other throwbacks. And, as another reviewer has noted, the company has a not particularly subtle (White) Men First approach to advancement.

-Lack of diversity throughout the company, especially at the top -Management that consistently fails to grapple with the hardships minorities face within the company (see the Huffington Post article about ReD's hypocritical BLM stance) -A founding partner in the NYC office who is largely absent, but known for making inappropriate and uncomfortable comments to staff -A CEO who does not understand the basics of the firm's methodology -Paths to promotions that are unclear and seemed based on favoritism -Opaque communication regarding the Cognizant relationship -Poor forecasting of projects, resulting in people getting hired and fired with little forethought -Bizarre, cultish company culture that esteems an elite Danish aesthetic almost to the exclusion of anything different/contrary -Low beginning salary for people with PhDs