Productivity in Professional Services

Abstract

This article reviews several published articles in the management of accounting, dentistry, engineering, law, and medicine, as well as some more general articles to reveal techniques of general applicability in the enhancement of productivity in professional services. It starts by briefly discussing recent developments in the service sector and the relevant differences between goods and services (especially professional services). The main body of the article summarises what is known about operating a professional service productively. The techniques are grouped into nine categories, most of which are commonly found in the productivity literature. The article concludes that high productivity in professional services begins with management focusing on productivity, followed by designing the right service with the right delivery system, using assistants and automation wherever appropriate. It also concludes that the professions have a lot in common from a managerial viewpoint. The article concludes with some cautionary notes against paying too much attention to productivity.