?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Promotion+and+succession+management+and+associated+retention+issues+in+Australian+law+firms&rft.creator=Hetterich%2C+Elisabeth+Anna+Maria&rft.subject=law+firm+promotion+and+succession%2C+legal+firm+promotion+and+succession%2C+law+firm+staff+retention%2C+legal+firm+staff+retention%2C+law+firm+staff+turnover%2C+legal+firm+staff+turnover%2C+professional+services%2C+generational+cohorts%2C+age+cohorts&rft.subject=human+resource+management%2C+business+planning%2C+glass+ceiling%2C+flexible+work+practices%2C+work-life+balance&rft.description=The+focus+of+this+research+was+promotion+and+succession+management+in+Australian+law+firms.+Two+staff+retention+issues+currently+faced+by+the+Australian+legal+industry+were+identified+as+suggesting+possible+failures+in+this+area%3A+%0D%0A%0D%0A1)+Practitioners+are+leaving+law+firms+early+in+their+careers%2C+%0D%0A%0D%0A2)+Female+representation+is+disproportionally+low+at+partnership+level.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe+research+described+current+Australian+law+firm+promotion+and+succession+practices+and+then+explained+their+possible+relevance+to+the+two+retention+issues.+The+overall+aim+of+the+research+was+to+uncover+key+findings+and+present+practical+recommendations+to+law+firm+managers+and+partners+ready+for+incorporation+into+their+future+promotion+and+succession+planning+practice.+In+so+doing+the+research+aimed+to+benefit+the+Australian+legal+community+as+a+whole.+%0D%0A%0D%0AFour+areas+of+literature+relevant+to+the+topic+were+reviewed%2C+1)+law+firm+governance+concluding+that+the+fundamental+values+of+the+P%C2%B2-Form+remained+constant+(Cooper%2C+Hinings%2C+Greenwood+%26+Brown%2C+1996%3B+Morris+%26+Pinnington%2C+1998)+with+ownership+and+strategic+control+of+law+firms+remaining+in+the+hands+of+partners%3B+2)+the+importance+of+individual+practitioners+to+law+firms+concluding+that+the+actual+and+opportunity+costs+relating+to+practitioner+turnover+were+significant+due+to+the+transient+nature+of+knowledge+as+a+key+asset+of+law+firms+(Gottschalk+%26+Khandelwal%2C+2004%3B+Rebitzer+%26+Taylor%2C+2007)%3B+3)+generational+differences+concluding+with+support+for+the+work+of+Finegold%2C+Mohrman+and+Spreitzer+(2002)%2C+Davis%2C+Pawlowski+and+Houston+(2006)%2C+Kuhnreuther+(2003)%2C+and+Avery%2C+McKay%2C+and+Wilson+(2007)+which+indicated+that+generational+cohort+differences+were+of+little+utility+in+human+resources+management+practice%3B+and+4)+previous+research+relating+to+law+firm+promotion+and+succession+practices+indicating+that+five+practices+were+relevant+in+law+firm+promotion+outcomes%3B+1)+firm+billing+requirements+(Gorman+%26+Kmec%2C+2009%3B+Phillips%2C+2001%3B+Noonan+%26+Corcoran%2C+2004%3B+Webley+%26+Duff%2C+2007)%3B+2)+mentoring+programs+(Phillips%2C+2001%3B+Noonan+%26+Corcoran%2C+2004)%3B+3)+the+existence+of+female+partners+(Gorman+%26+Kmec%2C+2009%3B+Beckman+%26+Phillips%2C+2005)%3B+4)+non-partner+career+paths+(Phillips%2C+2001%3B+Corcoran+%26+Noonan%2C+2004)%3B+and+5)+the+existence+of+family+friendly+policies+(Gorman+%26+Kmec%2C+2009%3B+Phillips%2C+2001%3B+Noonan+%26+Corcoran%2C+2004%3B+Webley+%26+Duff%2C+2007.)+%0D%0A%0D%0AThe+research+was+carried+out+via+a+sequential+mixed+method+approach.+The+initial+quantitative+study+was+based+upon+a+theoretical+framework+grounded+in+the+literature+and+provided+baseline+information+describing+Australian+law+firm+promotion+and+succession+practices.+The+study+was+carried+out+via+an+on-line+survey+of+Australian+law+firm+practitioners.+The+results+of+the+study+provided+the+basis+for+the+second+qualitative+study.+The+qualitative+study+further+explained+the+statistically+generated+results+and+focused+specifically+on+the+two+identified+retention+issues.+The+study+was+conducted+via+one-on-one+interviews+with+Australian+law+firm+partners+and+experienced+law+firm+managers.+%0D%0A%0D%0AThe+results+of+both+studies+were+combined+within+the+context+of+relevant+literature+resulting+in+eight+key+findings%3A+%0D%0A%0D%0AKey+findings+%0D%0A1)+Organisational+commitment+levels+across+generational+cohorts+are+more+homogenous+than+different.+%0D%0A%0D%0A2)+Law+firm+practitioners+are+leaving+law+firms+early+in+their+careers+due+to+the+heavy+time+commitment+behaviour+demanded+of+them%2C+particularly+by+clients.%0D%0A%0D%0A3)+Law+firm+promotion+and+succession+practices+reinforce+practitioner+time+commitment+behaviour+marking+it+as+an+indicator+of+practitioner+success.%0D%0A%0D%0A4)+Law+firm+practitioners+believe+that+they+have+many+career+options+outside+law+firms+and+are+considering+these+options.%0D%0A%0D%0A5)+Female+practitioners+are+considering+opting+out+of+law+firms+due+to+time+commitment+demands+related+to+partnership+conflicting+with+family+commitment+demands.%0D%0A%0D%0A6)+A+masculine%2C+high+time+commitment+culture+in+law+firms+is+related+to+the+decision+by+female+practitioners+to+leave+law+firms.%0D%0A%0D%0A7)+The+uptake+of+alternative+work+arrangements+by+female+practitioners+is+not+fatal+to+their+partnership+prospects+particularly+in+firms+with+supportive+policies%2C+processes%0D%0Aand+organisational+culture.%0D%0A%0D%0A8)+Female+practitioners+are+less+inclined+than+their+male+counterparts+to+seek+partnership+as+an+ultimate+goal+and+are+more+likely+to+opt+out+of+law+firms+exhibiting+highly+competitive%2C+masculine+cultures.%0D%0A%0D%0APractical+recommendations+%0D%0AFurther+review+of+the+data+collected+in+relation+to+the+key+findings+provided+the+basis+for+nine+practical+recommendations+specifically+geared+towards+implementation+by+law+firm+managers+and+partners.+The+first+recommendation+relates+to+the+use+of+generational+differences+in+practitioner+management.+The+next+six+relate+to+recommended+actions+to+reduce+the+time+commitment+demands+on+practitioners.+The+final+two+recommendations+relate+to+the+practical+implementation+of+these+actions+both+at+an+individual+and+organisational+level.+The+recommendations+are+as+follows%3A+%0D%0A%0D%0A1)+%22Generationally+driven%2C%22+age+based+generalisations+should+not+be+utilised+in+law+firm+promotion+and+succession+management+practice.%0D%0A%0D%0A2)+Expected+levels+of+client+access+to+practitioners+be+negotiated+on+a+client+by+client+basis+and+be+included+in+client+retention+agreements.%0D%0A%0D%0A3)+Appropriate+alternative+working+arrangements+such+as+working+off-site%2C+flexible+working+hours+or+part-time+work+be+offered+to+practitioners+in+situations+where+doing+so+will+not+compromise+client+serviceability.%0D%0A%0D%0A4)+The+copying+of+long+working+hour+behaviours+of+senior+practitioners+should+be+discouraged+particularly+where+information+technology+can+facilitate+remote+client+serviceability.%0D%0A%0D%0A5)+Refocus+the+use+of+timesheets+from+an+employer+monitoring+tool+to+an+employee+empowerment+tool.%0D%0A%0D%0A6)+Policies+and+processes+relating+to+the+offer+of+alternative+working+arrangements+be+supported+and+reinforced+by+law+firm+organisational+culture.%0D%0A%0D%0A7)+Requests+for+alternative+working+arrangements+be+determined+without+regard+to+gender.%0D%0A%0D%0A8)+Incentives+and+employment+conditions+offered+to+practitioners+to+be+individualised+based+on+the+subjective+need+of+the+individual+and+negotiated+as+a+part+of+the+current+employee+performance+review+process.%0D%0A%0D%0A9)+Individually+negotiated+employment+conditions+be+negotiated+within+the+context+of+the+firm%E2%80%99s+overall+strategic+planning+process.+%0D%0A%0D%0AThrough+the+conduct+of+the+descripto-explanatory+study%2C+a+detailed+discussion+of+current+law+firm+promotion+and+succession+practices+was+enabled.+From+this+discussion%2C+7+eight+key+findings+and+nine+associated+recommendations+were+generated+as+well+as+an+insight+into+the+future+of+the+profession+being+given.+The+key+findings+and+recommendations+provide+practical+advice+to+law+firm+managers+and+partners+in+relation+to+their+everyday+promotion+and+succession+practice.+The+need+to+negotiate+individual+employee+workplace+conditions+and+their+integration+into+overall+law+firm+business+planning+was+put+forward.+By+doing+so%2C+it+was+suggested+that+both+the+individual+employee+and+the+employing+law+firm+would+mutually+benefit+from+the+arrangement.+The+study+therefore+broadened+its+practical+contribution+from+human+resources+management+to+a+contribution+to+the+overall+management+practice+of+Australian+law+firms.+In+so+doing%2C+the+research+has+provided+an+encompassing+contribution+to+the+Australian+legal+industry+both+in+terms+of+employee+welfare+as+well+as+firm+and+industry+level+success.&rft.publisher=Queensland+University+of+Technology&rft.date=2012&rft.type=Thesis&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.relation=https%3A%2F%2Feprints.qut.edu.au%2F54735%2F1%2FElisabeth_Hetterich_Thesis.pdf&rft.rights=free_to_read&rft.relation=Hetterich%2C+Elisabeth+Anna+Maria+(2012)+Promotion+and+succession+management+and+associated+retention+issues+in+Australian+law+firms.+Professional+Doctorate+thesis%2C+Queensland+University+of+Technology.&rft.id_number=https%3A%2F%2Feprints.qut.edu.au%2F54735%2F&rft.identifier=QUT+Business+School