Delivering ‘effortless experience’ across borders: Managing internal consistency in professional service firms

Segal-Horn, Susan and Dean, Alison (2009). Delivering ‘effortless experience’ across borders: Managing internal consistency in professional service firms. Journal of World Business, 44(1) pp. 41–50.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2008.03.013

Abstract

This article explores how professional service firms (PSFs) manage across borders. When clients require consistent services delivered across multiple locations, especially across borders, then firms need to develop an organization that is sufficiently flexible to be able to support such consistent service delivery. Our discussion is illustrated by the globalization process of law firms. We argue that the globalization of large corporate law firms primarily takes place in terms of investments in the development of protocols, processes and practices that enhance internal consistency such that clients receive an ‘effortless experience’ of the service across multiple locations worldwide. Over the longer term the ability to deliver such effortless experience is dependent upon meaningful integration within and across the firm. Firms that achieve this are building a source of sustainable competitive advantage.

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About

• Item ORO ID
• 12922
• Item Type
• Journal Item
• ISSN
• 1090-9516
• Keywords
• professional service firms; globalization; cross-border integration; global strategy implementation; law firms
• Academic Unit or School
• Faculty of Business and Law (FBL)
• Copyright Holders
• © 2008 Elsevier Inc.
• Depositing User
• Susan Segal-Horn