#TearThePaperCeiling: McKinsey & Company

McKinsey, a global management consulting company, is working to close the opportunity gap that exists for too many American workers and build a more inclusive economy. When they heard about the Tear the Paper Ceiling campaign, they wanted to be a part of it: “We wanted to be in a position to help people translate enthusiasm from the campaign into action–we wanted to have the practical tools and resources at the ready to help employers actually change how they hire,” says Carolyn Pierce, a Partner at McKinsey.?

McKinsey’s pro-bono support takes McKinsey’s top-of-class expertise in areas like strategy, product development, and project management and applies them to the complex barriers the Paper Ceiling campaign is looking to tear down.?

McKinsey’s most valuable resource is their people–their consultants include a diverse array of subject matter experts with a great deal of experience in workforce issues. At the beginning of the campaign, McKinsey put together a pro-bono team of strategy, product development, and project management experts to support the development of tools and resources that can help employers move towards action that will tear the paper ceiling down.?

One of the tech products McKinsey is helping to move forward helps companies see how their current open job searches could benefit from a STAR-focused talent strategy. And McKinsey has used coalition members to develop use cases for the tools and to test and give feedback about them. “The only way I think we’re ever going to make progress on issues like this is by working with a coalition of partners,” says Carolyn. “There’s no way that any of the organizations that are part of this could have the kind of impact alone that we have together.”?

And McKinsey is excited that the narrative is shifting on the issue, but there’s still a long way to go. “Removing the degree requirement is a necessary but insufficient action.” It’s going to take continued momentum to tear the paper ceiling down.