Acumen reviews

- I thought the company was trying to improve retention rate, but I don't think so anymore. It's a problem. People across different teams and departments are dropping like flies, especially senior levels. - Poor management with overworked directors leading to excessive delegating to mid-level managers - delusional directors that view people as replaceable - only new hires are for DPA I positions, when there should be more that are hired at the Policy Associate or Policy Lead level - 2016 has become a critical year for company, Its organizational structure and employee bench are at volatile point

Project management was particularly bad at Acumen. From what I could tell, senior management did not understand the importance of having a clear reporting structure and clear, timely direction. It was difficult to know who was in charge of the project at any given time. This led to miscommunication, missed deadlines, last minute work, and constant lurching from one strategy to another. These problems are especially prevalent in work involving the CEO. The stress from these problems leads many people to leave after a year or two. Conflict management is poor; managers tend to ignore problems or sweep them under the rug rather than dealing with issues in a mature, open and honest way. If you're looking to learn from or be mentored by someone more experienced, this may not be the place for you, as most managers, including some senior ones, are only a few years out of college. On the flip side, you can rise higher and gain more responsibility faster than you would somewhere else.