The Birth of Management Consulting

Arthur D. Little 1881

In 1886, Little cofounded a business in Boston focused on chemical analysis and testing as well as consultation on papermaking. When Little set up an R&D lab for General Motors in 1911, the high volume of work led Little to establish a dedicated consulting division. Today, his namesake company is known as the world’s first management consultancy, with a history of innovations from logistic control systems to electric cars.