Have read all the negative posts on the site regarding IBM GBS. Thought Id check again to see what the general opinion is regarding culture and career progression. Is it young and dynamic, conflicted and political, or has there been an exodus? How sharp are the staff compared to their competitors? Any feedback appreciated.

I came to GBS from industry.It is a very IT focused organisation and the culture reflects this. If you want to work on large IT, outsourcing or process change projects then it is one of the leading players. If you are a strategy, marketing or business consultant then there are less opportunities for career development.Average age is older than Accenture. However there are plenty of young partners and APs. GBS are more open than ACS to recruiting experienced people and at retaining people who like consulting but do not want to aim for partner. Overall I guess the mix/quality of staff is probably similar to ACS though with more experienced/older consultants. In my opinion this is a good thing.GBS is less political and less pressured than ACS I am told. Staff turnover is high compared to industry. A high proportion (30%+) of recruits come from ACS.Like all employers GBS has good and bad points. A lot depends on your background and how comfortable you feel with the culture and the people you meet.

Thanks JJ, very helpful reply

what do you mean with ACS? Acsenture?

Yes. For some reason I thought Accenture was sometimes called ACS.

I've had a few dealings with an Associate Partner at IBM. What exactly is an associate, how many are there, what do they earn? Are they very senior?IBM is not a partnership, it's a PLC, so how can you have partners?

AP is the grade below Partner. I do not know how many there are or what they earn in GBS. If I had to guess I would say 200 in the UK earning 90K-£120K. Yes it is quite senior but not as senior as Partner and there are many levels of Partner.In a PLC the term "partner" equates to same level as partner in a partnership. They may have share options but clearly do not actually own the firm and remuneration may be less.