Strategic decision-making in a professional service firm

Strategic management research within construction has neglected the professional service firm (PSF). Mintzberg et al.'s (1976) general model of the strategic decision process is applied to the decision to 'restructure' a cost and project management consultancy. The study focuses upon the activities to reach the initial decision to 'restructure' and not the implementation of the decision itself. The research is a pilot study in the first year of a part-time PhD and was carried out in an inductive and ethnographical manner, in order to develop a greater understanding of PSFs for future hypothesis generation and testing within the PhD. Conceptual modelling of the decision is achieved but the model is considered to lack identification of critical implicit activities in the process. It is suggested that the model confuses reaching a decision with implementing a decision and that the identification of the numerous subsequent interrelated decisions becomes difficult. It is also suggested that a top-down strategy within a PSF is not acceptable. The diagnosis of the problem was considered too vague and consequently it became difficult to see what the real driver for change was at all. Future research questions for the development of the PhD are proposed.