Most businesses rely on talent to succeed, but none so much as professional service firms. Within this rapidly expanding, trillion-dollar industry, professionals--and how they're managed--are the primary source of competitive advantage. In fact, success in this sector is determined more by the people you pay than the people who pay you. This path-breaking book provides readers with a practical and integrated perspective on how to win in the unique and tumultuous world of professional services. From strategy to organization to culture, it offers customized insights for businesses in which professionals drive bottom-line results and long-term company success. Respected academic Jay W. Lorsch and accomplished practitioner Thomas J. Tierney apply their broad experience to the realities of "Monday morning" decision making. Their work reflects decades of personal experience, combined with a rigorous study of outstanding professional service firms in industries that include law, information technology, accounting, advertising, investment banking, executive search, and consulting. Aligning the Stars explains what differentiates the "best of the best" within professional services. By describing how to attract, retain, motivate, organize, and lead the stars that shape a company's destiny, this book provides valuable lessons for the current and future leaders of every talent-driven business.

Since the middle of the twentieth century, business and legal scholars have tried to explain why corporate boards of directors function as they do, but it is not easy work to understand what happens behind the closed doors of boardrooms. Understanding Boards of Directors examines why research on corporate governance has been slow and uneven, and where that research should turn next to be most valuable to practitioners. The author traces the history of research on corporate boards and analyzes the trends in that research, including the relative value of the types of data that researchers in this field have used, and ultimately identifying the best path forward in studying these complex social systems. The author focuses primarily on research that reflects firsthand experience with boards that should provide some guidance for people working in this evolving field and help to understand the true complexity of corporate boards.