scholarly journals Knowledge and Learning in Professional Service Firms

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Faulconbridge
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Form ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Organization And Management ◽  
Key Characteristics ◽  
Heterogeneous Nature ◽  
Trajectories Of Change ◽  
Research Questions

It is difficult to understand the form, management, markets, and ultimately the services produced by PSFs without analysis of the characteristics of knowledge and learning in such organizations. This chapter highlights how three fundamental lines of research about PSFs are intimately related to the key characteristics of knowledge and learning in such organizations: (a) organizational form, management, and governance, (b) the roles and effects of knowledge networking via databases versus knowing in practice through communities, and (c) the jurisdiction of a firm and claims about exclusive rights over a market. These areas of research are all contested domains in terms of optimum modes of organizing and trajectories of change due to the ambiguous and heterogeneous nature of knowledge. The chapter frames key future research questions which relate primarily to the constant dynamics that define both the nature of knowledge in PSFs, and their influence on questions of organization and management.

Professional Service Firms and Identity

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mats Alvesson ◽  
Dan Karreman ◽  
Kate Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Identity Construction ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Professional Workers ◽  
Elite Identity ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Multiple Actors

This chapter examines the relationship between individual and organizational identity in PSFs and the significant but tenuous nature of elite identity in this context. The authors identify four main identity-related issues for management control in PSFs: autonomy/conformity tensions, the client conundrum, ambiguity saturation, and intangibility. They explore three main modes of identity-focused control in PSFs: positive image, homogenization of the workforce, and anxiety-regulation. The chapter examines contemporary challenges to elite identities and the increasing critique of concepts of professionalism in this context and highlights key areas for future research on identity in PSFs and among professionals. These include: the need to acknowledge the homogeneity of professional service firms and professional workers; how professionals regulate their identity to respond to identity challenges; the roles that multiple actors play in a professional’s identity construction; and the depth of identity construction with regard to both organizational and professional identity.

Strategic Human Resource Management and Performance Management in Professional Service Firms

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juani Swart ◽  
Nina Katrin Hansen ◽  
Nicholas Kinnie
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Human Capital ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Hrm Practices ◽  
Human And Social Capital

This chapter draws on previous research to consider how HRM practices are used to manage human and social capital to generate superior performance in professional service firms. Previous research indicates that PSFs rely on both human capital (knowledge and skills) and social capital (relationships inside and outside the PSF) to manage their performance outputs. In this context the authors review the existing research on strategic HRM practices in PSFs which is predominantly categorized into expertise- and efficiency-orientated HRM systems. They draw on their own research to outline two models of HRM practices which are used to manage human and social capital and discuss the link to innovation. The first of these emphasizes the protection of human capital and therefore has centripetal properties, whereas the second is more client-focused and therefore displays centrifugal properties. Finally, they consider the managerial challenges that these models present and point to avenues for future research.

Sources of Homogeneity and Heterogeneity across Professional Services

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew von Nordenflycht ◽  
Namrata Malhotra ◽  
Timothy Morris
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Organization Theory ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Sociology Of Professions ◽  
Organization And Management

Research on Professional Service Firms (PSFs) has tended to treat them as homogeneous and to assume there are similarities in how they are organized and managed. This assumption has been challenged recently as scholars have drawn attention to organizational differences stemming from sources of heterogeneity. The authors argue that rigorous theorizing about the organization and management of PSFs requires an understanding of sources of both homogeneity and heterogeneity and their specific implications. They synthesize insights from the sociology of professions literature and the economics and organization theory literatures to distil key sources of homogeneity and heterogeneity. They also identify firm-level characteristics that drive heterogeneity within a particular professional service. The authors propose an overarching framework of sources of homogeneity and heterogeneity that helps interpret the generalizability of existing research and has the potential to better inform future empirical research on PSFs.

Making up ideal recruits

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 233-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Gebreiter
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Recruitment Practices ◽  
Ultimate Objective ◽  
Big Four

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of graduate recruitment in the professional socialisation and subjectification of Big Four professionals. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on documentary data and interviews conducted at one British university. It adopts an interpretive perspective and is informed by Foucault’s work on technologies of power and technologies of the self. Findings The paper argues that the graduate recruitment practices of Big Four firms represent a series of examinations which produce the category of ideal recruits. It moreover suggests that this category serves as the ultimate objective of an ethical process whereby aspiring accountants consciously and deliberately seek to transform themselves into the type of subjects they aspire to be – ideal recruits. Research limitations/implications The findings of the paper are primarily based on interviews conducted at one university. Future research could explore if students at other universities experience graduate recruitment in similar or different ways. Originality/value The paper highlights the constitutive role of graduate recruitment practices and shows that they can construct ideal recruits as much as they select them. It also shows that graduate recruitment is an important anticipatory socialisation mechanism that can compel aspiring accountants to learn how to look, sound and behave like Big Four professionals long before they join such organisations. Finally, the paper discusses its implications for the future of the profession, social mobility and the use of Foucault’s work on technologies of power and the self in studying subjectivity at elite professional service firms.

Marketing and Reputation within Professional Service Firms

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vince Mitchell ◽  
William S. Harvey
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Future Research Agenda ◽  
Sales Effectiveness ◽  
Marketing Principles

This chapter reviews the research on marketing and reputation relevant to Professional Service Firms (PSFs). Although there has been relatively little research to date which explores both fields concurrently, the authors organize the material by problematizing the issue of marketing within PSFs. They introduce and provide a conceptual model of reputation that explores its antecedents, such as service quality, social networks, and rankings as well as consequences such as sales effectiveness, premium pricing, and client loyalty within PSFs. Reputation has often been conflated with other related terms such as identity and image and the authors provide some clarification on defining and measuring reputation. The chapter explores this and other problems inherent within the application of reputation to marketing principles and practice to PSFs as well as hints at solutions. Finally, the authors identify a future research agenda for both marketing and reputation.

Opening the black box of PSF network internationalization: An exploration of law firm networks

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rany Salvoldi ◽  
David M Brock
Keyword(s):  
Black Box ◽  
Peer Networks ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Law Firms ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Law Firm ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
International Strategies ◽  
Limited Duration

Abstract This article advances our understanding of network internationalization by professional service firms. We address gaps in the literature concerning the various kinds of networks; their role in international strategies, including learning, and knowledge transfer; and their structural and governance mechanisms. Concentrating on the network dependency of 177 European law firms, we analyse and summarize their structural and governance tendencies. Then we develop a typology of seven international peer networks. The seven types identified are: ‘Loose’, a network of disconnected actors, where exchange is mostly limited to referrals; ‘Constricted’, referral-based networks aimed at optimizing exchange flows and cooperation; ‘Focused’, networks aimed at a specific sector or specialty; ‘Friends’, informal, non-exclusive networks; ‘Exclusives’, formal alliances or cooperative relations; ‘Monogamous’, well-established, broad, longstanding, and close relationships; and ‘Isolated’, project-related alliances of limited duration. We conclude with a discussion that considers this typology in light of possible intangible outcomes of membership and proposes how this might be extended in future research.

Trendsetters of HRM: a systematic review of how professional service firms manage people

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dmitri Sokolov ◽  
Elena Zavyalova
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
The Body ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hrm Practices

PurposeHuman resource management in professional service firms (PSF) is one of the most important instruments for promoting sustainable competitive advantage. Despite the major growth of scholars' interest in human resource management (HRM) issues in PSF, the body of knowledge in this field remains highly fragmented and diversified. The purpose of this paper is to systematize key evidence on the use of HRM practices in PSF.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a systematic literature review of 90 peer-reviewed journal papers.FindingsThe review revealed typical ability-, motivation- and opportunity-enhancing practices used by PSF and outlined how these HRM practices may differ among various PSF.Originality/valueThe paper provides scholars with an updated and comprehensive research landscape and development process in this important field, thereby contributing to greater research interest and enthusiasm for future research.

Managing international professional service firms: a review and future research agenda

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ciara O'Higgins ◽  
Nekane Aramburu ◽  
Tatiana Andreeva
Keyword(s):  
Research Agenda ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
International Management ◽  
The Body ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Research Agenda

PurposeResearch on international professional service firms (PSFs) has grown in recent years, reflecting the increasing relevance of these firms in the global economy. However, to date, no attempt has been made to systematically examine and integrate this literature. This study reviews the body of knowledge on the international management of PSFs and proposes a future research agenda that aims to strengthen the research on international PSFs, by applying the conceptual lens of PSF characteristics.Design/methodology/approachA systematic review of 108 empirical articles on the management of international PSFs was carried out.FindingsThe authors analyse where, how and what research was carried out on the international management of PSFs, and find that currently the field offers few opportunities to integrate findings or explain differences across different types of international PSFs. In recommendations for future research, the authors show how the lens of PSF characteristics can help overcome these issues and unveil promising avenues for future research that will lead to a more fine-grained theorising and understanding of the international management of PSFs.Originality/valueThe study provides a comprehensive state of the art of research on the international management of PSFs and a future research agenda, which builds on PSF characteristics to explore and better understand the heterogeneity of international PSFs, in order to develop more robust explanations of their behaviour and open new research avenues.

Researching Professional Service Firms

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bob Hinings ◽  
Daniel Muzio ◽  
Joseph Broschak ◽  
Laura Empson
Keyword(s):  
Societal Perspective ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Scholarly Research ◽  
Service Firm ◽  
Integrative Framework ◽  
Professional Service Firm ◽  
Knowledge Governance

The chapter begins by examining the significance of Professional Service Firms (PSFs) in terms of their scale and significance from an economic and societal perspective, and the insights they offer for academic theory. The authors examine how PSFs have remained “in the shadows,” in terms of their visibility within the economy and within scholarly research, and how and why that situation is changing. The chapter discusses “what exactly is a Professional Service Firm?” and highlights four defining characteristics relating to: customization, knowledge, governance, and identity, which frame this definition. After presenting an overview of each of the twenty chapters in the Handbook, the authors conclude by proposing various key themes for future research and by developing an integrative framework for the analysis of PSFs.

Service Innovation in Professional Service Firms

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Barratt ◽  
Bob Hinings
Keyword(s):  
Technology Development ◽  
Service Innovation ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The Face ◽  
Rapid Pace ◽  
Future Research Directions

Service innovation in Professional Service Firms involves the development and use of new practices by professionals. In the face of increasing competition and the rapid pace of technology development service innovation is of increasing importance for these firms. Despite these developments, there has been little discussion of innovation in the Professional Service Firm (PSF) literature. The emphasis has been on change and knowledge management with little recognition as to how these are related to innovation. In this chapter, the authors review the PSF literature and recent developments on service innovation and propose future research directions around a practice perspective for exploring service innovation in professional service firms.

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