I develop a theory of the distinctive characteristics of professional service firms and their
organizational implications. I identify three distinctive characteristics—knowledge intensity …

Purpose–The purpose of this paper is to examine how a system of human resource
management (HRM) practices, labelled high-performance work systems (HPWS), influences …

This paper explores the following theme: what it means to be a successful professional in
the Big 4 today. Specifically, we take success as being epitomized by those who have …

This article develops a relational model of institutional work and complexity. This model
advances current institutional debates on institutional complexity and institutional work in …

Growing interest in knowledge as a competitive asset suggests the benefit of studying
professional service firms (PSFs). These firms are highly successful examples of …

Purpose–Facilitating knowledge sharing within organisations is a difficult task: the
willingness of individuals to share and integrate their knowledge is one of the central …

The creation of the public corporation in the 19th century drove out the partnership as the
predominant form of organizational governance. Yet, within the professional services sector …

Professional service firms (PSFs) play an important role in the knowledge‐based economy.
Their success is highly dependent on their people, the knowledge resources they possess …

Existing theories have recognised the importance of expert knowledge in the formation and
survival of professional service firms (PSFs), such as accounting and consulting firms, but …

abstract Research on professional service firms emphasizes similarities in their organization
and management and distinctiveness from other types of organization. In this paper we take …