Very Conservative, But A Great Place For Those Who Want Global Experience
Pros
* Ability to gain significant global experience, Colgate is by-far the most truly global company I've worked at. At almost any CP office there will be many people of all nationalities and backgrounds. The NY office is probably the most diverse. * Success is largely driven by your ability to build and maintain wide informal networks. Your relationships--more so than other companies I've worked at--largely determines your ability to get things done. * Highly stable environment, relatively.
Cons
* Extremely conservative. If you're looking to break the mold in any way whatsoever, you're at the wrong company. While management gives innovation a lot of lip service, in reality, there is much too much inertia and 'failure is not an option' attitude for anything truly groundbreaking to take hold. * A lot of 'dead wood' middle management . Yes, every company has it's share of managers who's stars have faded, but Colgate seems to have more than most. The sequence of 'Voluntary Early Retirement Programs' in recent years have cleared much of it out, but there are a few notable exceptions. * High percentage of decisions made unnecessarily high in the organization. Most middle managers are unable to make any decisions of consequence.
