The authors of this book alert that professional services like law,
accountancy, and consultancy firms are set to face major disruption. The
most important driver and enabler are the new technologies that help and
in part substitute the work done by professionals. The second important
disruptor is the new generation of professionals - "NewGen" - who are
less interested in building their careers in a hierarchical organization
and more interested in entrepreneurial challenges in small teams, with
more rapid returns. In the meanwhile, major service conglomerates - the
"big four" accounting firms, the "big three" consulting firms to name a
few examples - build their network using their brand and substantial
resources. All along, the relentless pressure from clients to receive
more services at lower cost continues. Medium-sized professional firms
as well as one-person independents appear to suffer most from these
disruptions and are most anxious to find new ways to conduct their
business. But the leaders of large firms also feel that they are
increasingly unable to support the innovative entrepreneurship of their
most promising professionals while their organizations institutionalize
and their overheads continue to grow.
This book proposes a new orientation and model of a professional service
firm as an answer to these challenges, by creating a Professional
Service Community. It is a synergistic team of organizations that share
a vision of their role in society and main lines of their mission as
well as the quality of their deliverables and their key clients. At the
same time, they are independent in designing their internal business
models - like recruitment, training, knowledge management, and
economics. The Professional Service Community provides a unique and
highly attractive level of entrepreneurship, flexibility, and efficiency
to the benefit of its clients, partners, staff, and other stakeholders.
It is the way of the future.
