Finder, Minder, Grinder: Project Network Relations and on the Job Performance in PSFs

Abstract

A PSF’s success is dependent largely on its competitive advantage: the quality of its resource base as the professionals employed by the firm and their ability to service clients’ needs. The career progression of the professionals in these firms is a key topic in the literature on PSFs. The extant literature identifies a number of explanations that account for the possibility upward mobility such as a professional’s ability, knowledge and work ethic, as well demographic characteristics. We focus on their day-to-day work, the network relations professionals’ form through the client teams in which they participate and see how this affects their end-of-year evaluations. By distinguishing between juniors, seniors and partners, we are able to construct profiles using fs/QCA, of successful professionals and see the extent to which these profiles require adaptation between the different hierarchical strata.