I'm impressed with this collection of articles directed at those responsible for managing professional service firms such as legal, accounting, business consulting firms. David Maister has done a good job.The book was published in 1993 and is really a collection of articles that he'd written for other journals such as "The American Lawyer". So, I guess, many of the articles were really much older than 1993. However, to my eye, they stand the test of time very well. Much of what he's written here about things like profitability: .....some elements (predominantly short-term profitability ("hygiene" issues) get overmanaged, and many long-run "health" issues) are undermanaged..........seem to be very relevant to professional service firms today.
An interesting section about what a buyer of services is looking for ....basically a consultant that I can trust. And the number one firms in their field (such as McKinsey) tend to have the attitude that the most important concern is to build the relationship with a client....not the immediate job. And one line that I like is "Groups don't cooperate, people do". We used to try and build relationships with Government Departments....but same principle applied ...our organisation didn't have a relationship with another organisation...but individuals did. (And if you lost those individuals ...you also lost the relationship).
He covers a lot of issues like splitting the pie in partnerships, building the firm's human capital, creating the collaborative firm, marketing to existing clients ......and what he says seems to be both sensible and based on a lot of experience consulting to professional service firms. Quite a useful handbook. I rate it five stars. ( )

Comprehensive, thorough, full of useful insight, very dry. ( )

Obligatorisk läsning för alla som undrar vad som försigår bakom kulisserna på en firma med kunskapsarbetare. Exemplen tar upp branscher som revision/juridik men stämmer enligt min åsikt in alldeles utmärkt även på IT. ( )

Книга Дэвида Майстера, консультанта и исследователя мирового уровня, изучающего вопросы управления организациями, оказывающими профессиональные услуги, является настольной для всех успешных руководителей аудиторских, юридических, консалтинговых, риелторских компаний. Главная ценность ее в том, что автор не только дает систематическое изложение всех аспектов управления такими организациями, но и наряду с общими принципами предлагает описание лучшей практики управления и ясные методики для внедрения этой практики.

Книга будет интересна владельцам, руководителям и сотрудникам фирм, оказывающих профессиональные услуги, студентам отделений менеджмента и маркетинга.

Seems like very obvious advice for the most part, such as how important is delegation and the junior to partner ratio in a service firm. Even so, very perceptive and seemingly common sense ideas are very well explained. ( )