Professional services firms (PSFs) are characterised by high external client interaction as well as by high levels of internal knowledge intensity. However, the literature is remarkably mixed on the question of how these characteristics impact innovativeness in this industry. While client interaction and demand may induce innovation, clients may be looking for tried-and-tested solutions to their problems from professional service providers. Similarly, while professionals' knowledge and expertise is required for new service development, their specialisation does not necessarily lead them to be innovative. We analyse both externally-oriented and internally-oriented mechanisms to understand PSF innovativeness, conducting our analysis at the level of practice areas in PSFs. Using a survey of 218 practice areas, we only find support for the internally-oriented mechanisms and not external ones. It is a combination of human capital, the sharing of knowledge internally, and allocating decision rights to the professional staff that drives innovativeness in PSF practice areas.

中文翻译：

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专业服务行业的创新：实践水平分析

专业服务公司 (PSF) 的特点是高度的外部客户互动以及高度的内部知识强度。然而，关于这些特征如何影响该行业的创新性的问题，文献非常复杂。虽然客户的互动和需求可能会引发创新，但客户可能会从专业服务提供商那里寻求久经考验的解决方案来解决他们的问题。同样，虽然新服务的开发需要专业人员的知识和专长，但他们的专业化并不一定会导致他们具有创新性。我们分析了面向外部和面向内部的机制以了解 PSF 的创新性，并在 PSF 的实践领域层面进行分析。通过对 218 个实践领域的调查，我们只找到对内部导向机制的支持，而不是外部机制。它结合了人力资本、内部知识共享以及将决策权分配给专业人员，从而推动了 PSF 实践领域的创新。