AECOM
This is number one on the list of top firms. In the last year they have made over 8 billion dollars in revenue. The projects that they do range from Architecture to systems to energy. The firm is worldwide and is very diverse. Being worldwide is an advantage, if its night time for someone on one side of the planet, the day starts on the other, this means someone is on the project 24 hours a day.
Another advantage of this firm is the people that work for it. Its not just architects, engineers, scientists, planners, programmers, and cost and construction managers. This means instead of relying on internet research you can go straight to someone in those fields for feedback.
With a bigger group of people comes more problems. When a firm gets to big its harder to manage. After reading some reviews on glass door.com i came to the conclusion that becoming a company that gets that large is a bad thing. The company makes just about everything not just architecture. So if architecture is an interest its better to work somewhere else. The firm does not pay well either, once you get a position you are stuck, there is very little room to advance. Some former employees went as far as saying it was full of "drones" and people that dont think for themselves.
In my opinion when you dont focus on one main thing you lose the essence and drive as well as motivation to do good. So in the end what is the point of being a big company if you are just doing work for the sake of getting paid and having money to pay your employees if you LOSE YOUR SOUL. Corporations this size lose touch with the people who work, which leads to the wrong people being fire. Also in the corporate world they want people to be like putty, to be shaped, manipulated, and told what to do. This leaves absolutely no room for true leadership and innovation.
GENSLER
Gensler is another big design firm however they are more focused on their clients and architecture. They dont have nearly as many employees as Aecom which means that people dont get lost or forgotten or neglected. Gensler understands that when it comes to design the clients with the biggest pockets are the ones to go after. They understand business to a point where they dont need to go beyond their niche market in order to make a profit. They are true to what they offer and focus solely on those things. These guys are alot more social and understand that collaboration and person to person relationships are what makes a great design environment.
This all seems to good to be true, glass door.com again reveals that although the environment for the firm is great, its over managed. There have been complaints as far as management not doing what their supposed to do. Forced overtime(with pay) and designers being told they have creative freedom which results and getting ideas stolen followed by being kicked off the team.
AECOM analysis pros and Cons by
-Ramiro Martinez
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