Managing the Professional Service Firm by David H. Maister

Managing the Professional Service Firm

David H. Maister, David Maister

Free Press · Paperback · June 9, 1997

International expert and consultant David Maister offers a brilliant and accessible guide to every management issue at play in professional firms.

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Who it’s for
Practical, field-tested guidance for professional-service work, with enough clarity to stay usable.
Genres
Service Industry, Leadership, Human Resources
Published
Free Press, June 9, 1997

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About this book

International expert and consultant David Maister offers a brilliant and accessible guide to every management issue at play in professional firms. Professional firms differ from other business enterprises in two distinct ways: first, they provide highly customized services and thus cannot apply many of the management principles developed for product-based industries. Second, professional services are highly personalized, involving the skills of individuals.

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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 recognizing 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.”

Clear Practice

Practical, field-tested guidance for professional-service work, with enough clarity to stay usable.

Come here for

  • professional-service management, plainly handled
  • toolkit-minded advice without the corporate fog

Expect

  • structured frameworks and referenceable ideas
  • serious business thinking, not fluff

Where it sits

Service Industry40%
Human Resources34%
Leadership28%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Management
  • Strategic Planning
  • Leadership
Authors
David H. Maister, David Maister
Publisher
Free Press
Published
June 9, 1997
Format
Paperback
Reading lane
Management