Interfirm Mobility: How Big 4 Firm Experience Impacts the Careers and Identity of Non-Big 4 Accounting Firm Partners

Abstract

This paper conducts a mixed-method study to examine: (1) How do Big 4 senior professionals experience the exit from a Big 4 firm to a non-Big 4 firm? (2) How do they adjust to their new firm? and (3) How do they mobilize their Big 4 experience to contribute to non-Big 4 firms? Rooted in a theoretical framework based on Bourdieusian scholarship, we study the downward move of senior professionals from prestigious Big 4 accounting firms to less recognized non-Big 4 accounting firms. Our study extends the literature by documenting the movements of senior professionals between different accounting firms, which highlights the non-linear nature of careers in accounting firms. Our findings also contribute to the Bourdieusian studies by focusing on the downward deviant trajectory of professionals, a phenomenon that has received little attention in Bourdieu’s work. Finally, we contribute to the literature by showing how non-Big 4 firms rely on the capital of former Big 4 professionals to strengthen their position in the field and to compete with Big 4 firms.