Pearson is an $8B Paper Tiger. So much internal politics, so much red tape, so many fiefdoms to nagivate, so many people eager to build empires, it becomes completely exasperating to get anything done here.
When they consolidated Higher Ed and removed internal competition with list consolidation back in 2007-2008, you'd think it would have removed these problems. Not really. You can make the argument that there are more silos at this company than ever, because there is no more internal crossover. Don't get me wrong- they needed to get rid of that internal inefficiency and consolidate lists, but teams are more isolated than ever. Product teams don't compare themselves to internal and external benchmarks like they used to.
Collaboration between divisions is exceptionally weak and slow moving, if at all. There are so many synergies that are being squandered and go unrecognized.
There's a lot of sharp elbows in this place. Very difficult for advancement. Very similar to the military where someone up top can pull you up through the ranks if they like you. Or keep you in place if they don't. Promotion at Pearson has very little to do with meritocracy, has a lot to do with internal political connectivity.
