Organisational structure for progressive firms

Partnerships worked because they created alignment without anyone writing it down: strong peer relationships and participatory decisions. Growth, outside capital and new ownership strain that. Firms still need the two things partnership used to give them — peers, and a say — without pretending everyone is equal or that no one is in charge.

Peers, participation, culture

Flatten the pyramid enough that the firm still feels like a partnership of peers. Participation that ignores the dark side — slow decisions, no one accountable — is not governance. Culture is not the dress code. It is the invisible guide that decides how people behave when the pack is late or a buyer is in the data room.

The cultural core in the best firms: partnership, teams, community, stars and clients held in the same hand, and perpetuity — building something that outlasts the current partners. A Chair uses organisational-structure design to make those beliefs show up in reserved matters and reporting lines, not on a values poster.