
Arthur D. Little
A leading management consulting firm where Charles Koch worked early in his career.
First Mentioned
5/19/2026, 5:11:05 AM
Last Updated
5/19/2026, 5:14:09 AM
Research Retrieved
5/19/2026, 5:14:09 AM
Summary
Arthur D. Little (ADL) is recognized as the world's first management consulting firm, established in 1886 by MIT chemist Arthur Dehon Little and his partner Roger B. Griffin. Originally focused on chemical analysis and industrial research, the firm pioneered the concept of contracted professional services and played a pivotal role in developing modern business strategy and operations research. ADL's legacy includes significant contributions to the development of synthetic penicillin, the word processor, LexisNexis, SABRE, and NASDAQ. The firm maintains a historic connection to MIT, where its founder taught and its former Cambridge headquarters now serves the MIT Sloan School of Management. Notably, Charles Koch spent his early career at ADL, where he analyzed economic principles such as comparative advantage and the division of labor, which later became foundational to the management philosophy of Koch Industries.
Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
Founded
1886-01-01
Founder
Arthur Dehon Little
Industry
Management Consulting
Co-founder
Roger B. Griffin
Incorporated
1909
Key Innovations
Synthetic penicillin, LexisNexis, SABRE, NASDAQ, Word Processor, Cap'n Crunch coating
Current Headquarters
Brussels, Belgium
Original Headquarters
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Timeline
- Arthur D. Little and Roger B. Griffin found the firm in Boston, Massachusetts. (Source: Wikidata)
1886-01-01
- Co-founder Roger B. Griffin dies; Arthur D. Little continues the business independently. (Source: Arthur D. Little Timeline)
1893-01-01
- Little forms the partnership Little & Walker with MIT's William Hultz Walker. (Source: Wikipedia)
1900-01-01
- The partnership with William Hultz Walker is dissolved. (Source: Wikipedia)
1905-01-01
- The firm is formally incorporated as Arthur D. Little (ADL). (Source: Wikipedia)
1909-01-01
- The firm opens its landmark building at 30 Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Source: Arthur D. Little Timeline)
1917-01-01
- ADL opens its first European office in Zurich, Switzerland. (Source: Management Consulted)
1957-01-01
- The firm files for bankruptcy and is subsequently acquired by the French firm Altran. (Source: Management Consulted)
2001-01-01
- A group of partners executes a management buyout from Altran, returning the firm to an independent partnership. (Source: Management Consulted)
2011-01-01
Wikipedia
View on WikipediaArthur D. Little
Arthur D. Little is an international management consulting firm originally headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, founded in 1886 and formally incorporated in 1909 by Arthur Dehon Little, an MIT chemist who extended the applications of cellulose acetate, especially its use as artificial silk. Arthur D. Little pioneered the concept of contracted professional services. The company played key roles in the development of business strategy, operations research, the word processor, the first synthetic penicillin, LexisNexis, SABRE, and NASDAQ.
Web Search Results
- Arthur D. Little - Wikipedia
Little, who had studied Chemistry at MIT, collaborated with MIT and William Hultz Walker of the MIT Chemistry department, forming a partnership, Little & Walker, which lasted from 1900 to 1905, while both MIT and Little's company were still located in Boston. The partnership dissolved in 1905 when Walker dedicated all of his time to being in charge of the new Research Laboratory of Applied Chemistry at MIT. Little continued on his own and incorporated the company, Arthur D. Little (ADL), in 1909. He conducted analytical studies, the precursor of the consulting studies for which the firm would later become famous. He also taught papermaking at MIT from 1893 to 1916. [...] Arthur D. Little is an international management consulting firm originally headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, founded in 1886 and formally incorporated in 1909 by Arthur Dehon Little, an MIT chemist who extended the applications of cellulose acetate, especially its use as artificial silk. Arthur D. Little pioneered the concept of contracted professional services. The company played key roles in the development of business strategy, operations research, the word processor, the first synthetic penicillin, LexisNexis, SABRE "Sabre (computer system)"), and NASDAQ. ## History [edit] Arthur D. Little's eponymous founder The Arthur D. Little Inc. building at 30 Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Massachusetts, near MIT, which opened in 1917. [...] David Levy "David Levy (inventor)"), inventor Pamela Low, developed the flavored coating for Cap'n Crunch cereal Donald Schön, academic Jack Treynor, economist Bernard Vonnegut, atmospheric scientist
- Arthur D. Little - Linking people, technology and strategy
Gothenburg, Vastra Gotaland County 411 37, SE, Wspólna 70, Park Avenue, 12th floor, Warsaw, Poland 00-687, PL, Paseo de la Castellana n. 13 planta 4ª, Madrid, 28046, ES [...] 34330, TR, Knowledge Village Dubai, Block C, 5th Floor, Dubai Properties Group HQ Building, Dubai, P.O. Box 112687, AE, Merlin Place Milton Road, Cambridge, England CB4 0DP, GB, 71 Stevenson St, San Francisco, California 94105, US, 10 High Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02129, US, 79 Madison Ave, New York, 10016, US, 146 Arthur Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2060, AU, Jl. Jend. Sudirman No. 86, Sahid Sudirman Center, 56th Floor, Jakarta, Jakarta 10220, ID, Tsvetnoy bul'var, Build. 2, entrance D, 4th floor, Moscow, Meshchanskiy 127051, RU, Road 4612, Sea Front, Office 302, Building 551, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain, BH, Calle Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca 689, Piso 6, Granada, Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico, Mexico City 11529, MX, Vasagatan 43a, Gothenburg, Vastra Gotaland County 411 37, SE, Wspólna 70, [...] Rue des Colonies 56, Brussels, 1000, BE, 7, Place d'Iena, Paris, 75116, FR, The Squaire, Frankfurt, 60600, DE, New Fetter Place West 55 Fetter Lane, 55 Fetter Lane, London, England EC4A 1AA, GB, Seitzstraße 8 a, Munich, 80538, DE, Arias 3751, Piso 18B, Buenos Aires, CABA C1430CRI, AR, Pennzoil Place 711 Louisiana Street, Suite 2120, Houston, Texas TX 77002, US, Rotenturmstraße 25, Vienna, 1010, AT, 9a Rue Robert Stumper, Luxembourg, Luxembourg 2557, LU, 222 Huaihai Middle Rd, HuaiHai Lu DongDuan, Huangpu Qu, Shanghai, Shi 200000, CN, No.3 West Dawang Road, Chaoyang District, #1210A, Building 1, Blue Castle International Center, Beijing, 100022, CN, One Chinachem Central, 22 Des Voeux Road Central,, Room 2707, 27F, Hong Kong, N/A, HK, 10 Floor, RSU Tower, 571 Soi Sukhumvit 31, Khlong Tan
- Arthur D. Little | Consulting Firm Profiles & Recruiting Resources
In 1957, the company opened its first European office in Zurich, Switzerland. Arthur D. Little today is a stronger brand in Europe than in the U.S., although the company is prioritizing expansion in the U.S. again. Today, the firm has 4 offices in the U.S. and is growing rapidly. In 2001, Arthur D. Little went through a rough patch rooted in mismanagement of the company’s core business. ADL was forced to file for bankruptcy and was bought out by a French engineering firm, Altran. Altran was later bought out by Capgemini. In 2011, a group of partners organized a management buyout from Altran to form a partnership, and Arthur D. Little became Arthur D. Little once again. In this period, the firm was focused on the European market, with a smaller presence in LATAM and EMEA. [...] ## Arthur D. Little Culture Arthur D. Little’s culture is similar to the culture at MBB, with a few notable differences. First, there is less of a competitive internal atmosphere. And while MBB firms are risk-averse in nature, Arthur D. Little, because of its smaller size, makes more space for more entrepreneurial thinking and risk-taking. What about work-life balance? In general, ADL offers better work-life balance than MBB, but make no mistake: you will be working long, grueling hours and, at times, be expected to work nights and weekends. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. [...] Arthur D. Little consultants travel a lot. Typical with strategy firms of similar reputation, 4 days out of the office each week is expected, although the aftereffects of the pandemic are changing things even at a firm like ADL. Still, expect a travel-heavy lifestyle when working for ADL. ## Arthur D. Little Interviews The Arthur D. Little interview process is fairly straightforward. The standard Arthur D. Little interview process typically consists of 3-5 interviews. Be prepared for two kinds of interviews: behavioral/fit and case interviews. You will see both types in the same interview round.
- Timeline | Arthur D. Little
### Arthur D. Little, consultancy with a difference Arthur D. Little was founded in 1886 in Boston by MIT chemist Arthur Dehon Little and his partner, Roger B. Griffin. The firm initially focused on chemical analysis and industrial research, with notable work in papermaking. Following Griffin’s untimely death in 1893, Little continued to grow the business, formally incorporating it in 1909. Arthur D. Little was founded in 1886 in Boston by MIT chemist Arthur Dehon Little and his partner, Roger B. Griffin. The firm initially focused on chemical analysis and industrial research, with notable work in papermaking. Following Griffin’s untimely death in 1893, Little continued to grow the business, formally incorporating it in 1909. [...] This three story brick building was constructed by Arthur D. Little to meet increasing demand for laboratory space. This building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1976 and is a National Historical Landmark. It is now known as the “Arthur D. Little Building” and serves as headquarters for the dean of the MIT Sloan School of Management. Lord Shaughnessy, president of the Canadian Pacific Railway commissioned Arthur D. Little to undertake a series of surveys of Canada’s natural resources and their industrial potential for the country. [...] ### Arthur D. Little, consultancy with a difference Arthur D. Little was founded in 1886 in Boston by MIT chemist Arthur Dehon Little and his partner, Roger B. Griffin. The firm initially focused on chemical analysis and industrial research, with notable work in papermaking. Following Griffin’s untimely death in 1893, Little continued to grow the business, formally incorporating it in 1909. Arthur D. Little is widely recognized as the world’s original management consulting firm, pioneering the application of scientific methods to solve industrial and business challenges. A heritage of delivering value We make history happen with our clients 2017 Pricing strategy redesign of high-speed train lines railways’ offers. Read More ####
- Team members | Arthur D. Little
Fabian is a Partner based in our Frankfurt office. Fabian led Arthur D. Little in the region for over 14 years since 2010. For over 20 years, Fabian has been serving clients cross sector in : … Martijn is a Partner of Arthur D. Little Netherlands Sustainability Strategy practice. He is a member of the senior leadership of our “Strategy & Organization” and “Technology & Innovation… Dario is a Partner at Arthur D. Little, based in the Milan office, and a member of the “Innovation” practices. With over 20 years of experience in management of digital opportunities and risks, he… Eddy is a Partner in Arthur D. Little Middle East and is with the firm since 2010. He has 19 years of experience including 13 in Management Consulting and 6 years in the EPC industry. Eddy’s… [...] Wolf-Dieter is a Partner at Arthur D. Little, based in our Munich office. He has worked for industrial companies in Europe, the Americas and Asia. He is an expert in complex global strategy… Shahid Khan is a Partner in our Telecommunications, Information Technology, Media & Electronics (TIME) practice, and Managing Partner of MAG, based in the US. Shahid is an acclaimed thought… Raymond is a Partner based in our Beirut office. He is a member of the Middle East Partner Group and leads the Technology & Innovation Management (TIM) practice in the region. His primary… Alan Martinovich is a Partner is the Dubai office of Arthur D. Little. He has over twenty years of experience advising management on issues related to corporate competitiveness, business strategy,… [...] Michael is a Partner at Arthur D. Little, based out of our London office, and serves as Chief Architect. Michael is passionate about designing the right solutions using smart-stitching approaches,… Volker A. Pfirsching is a Partner at Arthur D. Little based in Munich and leads our Innovation Practice in Germany. As a thought leader in Digital Disruption, Volker is engaged in many large-scale… Klaus is a Partner in our Munich office and leads the Automotive Practice in Central Europe. He predominantly serves clients in the automotive industry. His second background being in the technology… Yub Shin is a partner based in the Seoul office. Yub has over 20 years of professional experience in management consulting, business development, and investment advisory. He has extensive…
Wikidata
View on WikidataCountry
Founder
Instance Of
Headquarters
Inception Date
1/1/1886
DBPedia
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Location Data
Arthur Lane North, Centretown West, Centretown, Somerset, Ottawa, Eastern Ontario, Ontario, K1R 6Z5, Canada
Coordinates: 45.4051088, -75.7042965
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