Managing The Professional Service Firm

Professional service firms differ from other business enterprises in two distinct ways: first they provide highly customised services thus cannot apply many of the management principles developed for product-based industries. Second, professional services are highly personalised, involving the skills of individuals. Such firms must therefore compete not only for clients but also for talented professionals. Drawing on more than ten years of research and consulting to these unique and creative companies, David Maister explores issues ranging from marketing and business development to multinational strategies, human resources policies to profit improvement, strategic planning to effective leadership. While these issues can be complex, Maister simplifies them by recognising that 'every professional service firm in the world, regardless of size, specific profession, or country of operation, has the same mission statement: outstanding service to clients, satisfying careers for its people and financial success for its owners.'

Frederic W. Gluck

former managing director, McKinsey & Company

Important reading -- not just for managing partners, but for new associates.

Professor, Harvard Business School; co-author of "Service Breakthroughs"

David Maister's name is synonymous with the latest thinking in professional service firm management. This book suggests why.

author/co-author of "In Search of Excellence, Thriving on Chaos," and "Liberation Management"

The professional service firm is the best model for tomorrow's organization in any industry. When it comes to understanding these firms, David Maister has no peers.

David H. Maister is widely acknowledged as the world’s leading authority on the management of professional service firms. Beginning four decades ago, David has advised firms in a broad spectrum of professions, covering all strategic and managerial issues, spanning the globe. A native of Great Britain, David holds degrees from the University of Birmingham, the London School of Economics, and the Harvard Business School, where he was a professor for seven years. He is the author of the best-selling books Managing the Professional Service Firm and True Professionalism. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

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