The Revere Group

Michael Parks
Michael Parks, Todd Miller, and The Revere Group
Michael Parks and Todd Miller observed that the business goals of forward-thinking en¬terprises weren’t being met by the conventional approaches of the traditional, much larger consulting firms. So in 1992, they founded The Revere Group to meet this need. Revere’s vision since its inception has remained steadfast—to build an organization that clients rely upon as their trusted advisor. This vision of both Parks and Miller was implemented through a refined approach to people, processes, and technology. In an industry marked by innovation and relentless change, organizations can look to Revere for its senior con¬sulting model, strong business and technology expertise, client-focused
project manage¬ment methodology, and partner relationships. Revere offers services in five core areas: operational efficiency, interactive, analytics and collaboration, enterprise platforms, and managed services.
The Revere Group was originally started in the Chicagoland area but moved its head¬quarters to Chicago, Illinois. Expansion continued to include offices in Boston, Charlotte, Denver, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Orlando, Raleigh, San Francisco, Tampa, and Bangalore, India. In 2005, Revere became a wholly owned subsidiary of NTT DATA, a multinational organization, further extending its reach and capabilities. Although they have since sold their company, the founders still run the business, as Michael Parks remains CEO and Todd Miller remains president and COO.
The Revere Group practices what it preaches and attributes its longevity to its core values, one of which is teamwork.
“We hire people who work well with their coworkers and clients. We encourage a high level of respect for others’ opinions—while still driving for the right solution. This collaborative approach has served us well,” comments Todd Miller. “The Revere Group is always looking for qualified, dedicated people to join our team. We hire individuals who have depth and breadth of experience and a functional, tech¬nical, or industry specialty. Our employees are grounded in teamwork, integrity, service, and
accountability.”
Michael Parks knows it’s hard to grow a company if your employees don’t grow too, and he believes in investing in his human capital.
“The simple fact is that an organization’s most valuable function is strategizing the ever-changing and unique [human resource] op¬portunities provided by today’s business environment. As a result, the ability to adapt quickly and effectively to new challenges, corporate strategies and employee demands may be your most valuable asset.”
To take advantage of his employees’ potentials, Parks has had in place what he calls a “career-pathing” program almost since he started the business. At the beginning of the year, each Revere employee sits down with a company-assigned mentor to develop an in¬dividual annual growth plan. That plan typically details how the employee will spend his or her required two weeks of training, as well as what progress he or she needs to make to receive a promotion or change jobs. Employees receive quarterly updates on their progress and have periodic check-ins with their
mentors.
Parks says the program is great for retention. He selects mentors not by titles or tenure but by their people skills and their knowledge of both the company and the industry. After a bit of experimentation, Parks learned that assigning a manager to mentor the employees who report to him or her didn’t work. “It’s a natural conflict,” he says. “If I’m your man¬ager and you want to make a change, how do you tell me that you really don’t want to work in my area?”116
Go to the Internet: For more information on The Revere Group and to update the information provided in this case, do a name search on the Internet and visit http://www. reveregroup.com.
Support your answers to the following questions with specific information from the case and text, or with other information you get from the Web or other sources.
1. Referring to the needs hierarchy, ERG, and manifest needs theories, describe what motivators The Revere Group concentrates on.
2. How might expectancy theory explain The Revere Group’s success in hiring and retaining productive employees?
3. Compare and contrast The Revere Group’s career-pathing program with MBO programs. What are the similarities and differences?
4. How does the career-pathing program motivate Revere employees?

Cumulative Questions 5. What is the role of attitudes and values (Chapter 3) in this case?

6. What steps should the career-pathing program include to facilitate career planning and development (Chapter 4)?
7. Describe why Michael Parks and Todd Miller might be described as charismatic or transformational leaders (Chapter 8).