Analysis Group's CEO on Managing with Soft Metrics

Por um escritor misterioso

Last updated 21 março 2025

Analysis Group's CEO on Managing with Soft Metrics

Before she joined Analysis Group, the author worked at a small economic consulting firm that—like most other firms in the industry—closely tracked and measured the profitability of each office and each practice area. That approach, she observed, created a lot of internal competition and divisiveness. In addition, the compensation model was formula-based and data-driven, largely determined by who was selling new business. Analysis Group uses a much different model: It determines partners’ compensation without relying on formulas; it doesn’t obsess over false precision about who sold what business; and pay isn’t strictly a function of billable hours. Instead, extensive, informed discussion of each person’s contributions to the firm leads to a decision about what pay seems fair. For one thing, Samuelson writes, in a professional services firm it’s not always clear who deserves credit for a specific action. She is convinced that the firm’s unconventional model is one of the reasons its culture is so strong.