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Publications
  • 2012
  • Chapter
  • The Oxford Handbook of Management Consulting

Structuring Consulting Firms

By: Tim Morris, Heidi K. Gardner and N. Anand
  • Format:Print
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Abstract

This chapter presents a model of the way in which consulting and other professional-service firms organize themselves and grow. We will argue that the fundamental structural-design challenge for consulting firms, like other professional firms, is to adapt appropriately to market and institutional demands. Central to this challenge are decisions about how best to organize the expertise they marshal to compete. Expertise is organized at two levels: at a micro level through flexible project-team structures and at a macro level principally through units called practices. Macro structural choices define and promote development of the practice portfolio.

Keywords

Experience And Expertise; Management Practices And Processes; Demand And Consumers; Service Operations; Organizational Design; Organizational Structure; Projects; Groups And Teams; Consulting Industry; Service Industry

Citation

Morris, Tim, Heidi K. Gardner, and N. Anand. "Structuring Consulting Firms." In The Oxford Handbook of Management Consulting, edited by Matthias Kipping and Timothy Clark. Oxford University Press, 2012.

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    Professional Development at DLA Piper—Building the Strength of Global Legal Talent

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More from the Authors
  • Rewarding Partnerships By: Heidi Gardner
  • Professional Development at DLA Piper—Building the Strength of Global Legal Talent By: Heidi K. Gardner
  • Michael Clark at Regency Consulting Partners By: Heidi K. Gardner
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