With the leading management consultancies all seeking to have “partner” relationships with leading institutions and global organizations, what will distinguish great relationships from ones that end in blood‐letting? Theories and best practices abound; collectively they may provide useful...

The “War for Talent” has made the cover of Fortune Magazine as well as being a top agenda item for the leadership of professional service firms – from McKinsey to the three Bs (Bain, Boston Consulting Group, and Booz Allen) to the big five accounting firms. A boom economy has led to a...

Being your own boss, becoming a partner in or part‐owner of a business, and achieving great wealth and prestige are the dreams of many youths. Professional service firms (PSFs) provide many opportunities – for leadership, authority, and autonomy; for equity participation; and for advising...

The concept of social capital will be key to individual and organizational success throughout the twenty‐first century. Social capital is the stock of accumulated resources that one can access based on the relationships that can aid or be leveraged in accomplishing an end or furthering a...

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to examine multisource feedback from a stakeholder perspective, arguing that select competency assessments that different rater groups provide are valid predictors of the “partner” potential and advancement of senior professional service...

Purpose – This longitudinal study seeks to advance the understanding of consultant relationship competencies and interpersonal style in promotions to partner. Design/methodology/approach – The relationship management survey (RMS), 360‐degree competency assessment and FIRO‐B interpersonal...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to extend the work on 360‐degree assessments as a stakeholder perspective and to support the argument that different competency assessments by different rater groups provide valid predictors of the objective and subjective career success of young...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how the support managers provide to employees affects the employees' sense of intrinsic reward, personal commitment, perceived career success, and retention. Design/methodology/approach – A large‐scale employee survey wss conducted of 28...

Corporate universities, like other lines of business within an enterprise, have customers and other stakeholders whose wants need to be satisfied. They operate in an environment subject to demographic, technological, and political trends that could affect their business. The leaders of corporate...

The concept of career stages or phases is extended to the career progression challenges faced by consultants in professional service firms. Professions such as consulting typically have rigorous entry requirements, demand newcomers to be individual contributors and revenue generators early in...