Innovating Professional Services

Alastair Ross is a highly experienced change leader having consulted globally to service and industrial businesses for nearly twenty-five years. He founded Codexx Associates Ltd in 2002, with the goal of ’energising change’ for businesses. He provides consulting services in innovation and re-engineering, following a career in IBM in manufacturing, management and consulting. Since 2005 Alastair has worked extensively with a number of major professional service firms in innovation and re-engineering. Alastair has written and spoken widely on business improvement and his book Dynamic Factory Automation was published by McGraw-Hill in 1992. He is a Chartered Engineer, has a Bachelor of Science degree from Southampton University and a Master of Science degree from Imperial College, London. His recent publications include: Lean for Lawyers, Business Process Re-engineering in Law Firms, Innovating Professional Services, The Innovation Journey, Innovation in a Law Firm and Increasing Client Loyalty. Alastair is a visiting lecturer on service innovation for the MSc in Strategy & Innovation at the University of Southampton.

• 1: About this Book; 2: The Landscape for Innovation in Professional Services; 3: Why Innovation? Lessons from the UK Legal Sector; I: Opportunities for Innovation; 4: So You Want More Innovation in Your Firm?; 5: Innovation – What Is It?; 6: Innovation Opportunities in Professional Services; 7: Process Innovation; 8: Product/Service Innovation; 9: Market Position Innovation; 10: Business Model Innovation; 11: The Benefits of Effective Innovation; 12: Standing Back and Looking Forwards; II: Establishing a System For Innovation; 13: Where to Start?; 14: Managing Innovation – Lessons from Best Practice; 15: Leadership for Innovation; 16: Strategy for Innovation; 17: Process for Innovation; 18: Climate for Innovation; 19: Resources and Methods for Innovation; 20: External Links to Innovation; 21: Learning from Innovation; 22: Putting an Innovation System in Place; III: Innovation Through Smarter Working; 23: Introduction to Re-engineering; 24: Let's Talk About Business Processes; 25: Lean and Continuous Improvement; 26: Smarter Working – Applying Re-engineering in Professional Services; 27: The Challenges for Re-engineering in Professional Services; 28: The Benefits of Re-engineering in Professional Services; 29: How to Re-engineer – An Introduction; 30: Re-engineering in a Downturn; 31: Getting Started; IV: Managing Key Challenges; 32: Common Innovation Challenges in Professional Service Firms; 33: Challenge 1 – Poor Supportive Culture for Innovation; 34: Challenge 2 – Limited Understanding of Client Needs; 35: Challenge 3 – Insufficient Resourcing of Innovation; 36: Challenge 4 – Poor Innovation Process; 37: Challenge 5 – Ineffective Execution; 38: Challenge 6 – Resistance to Systemisation of Work; 39: Developing Your Innovation; 40: Final Words

'This book makes a really helpful contribution to our understanding of how innovation works, and more importantly, how we can manage it in the particular context of professional services. Drawing on both a strong academic research base and his own practical experience, Alastair Ross has done a great job in shedding light on this important field and doing so in a readable and practical fashion.' -- John Bessant, Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Exeter, UK'Practical and insightful, this book is clearly the result of someone who has made innovation work in the challenging environment of the professions. Ross combines an understanding of partnerships with a deep knowledge of innovation to create an indispensable guide for an era that demands change.' -- Robert Pay, Director of Business Development, Alvarez & Marsal 'Lots of initiatives are launched but many fail to deliver any discernible business outcome and yet clients are screaming out for better ways of doing business. This practical book - filled with insights, case studies and useful tools - offers a blueprint for the creation of a sustainable innovation system. I recommend you read it for the benefit of your clients.' -- Andrew Clinton, Managing Partner, ASB Law LLP