New Leadership Tracks in Accounting Firms: An Alternative to the Partnership

Abstract

SUMMARY: Public accounting careers traditionally have followed an “up or out” progression from staff to senior to manager to senior manager to partner. Recent American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) data suggest that senior managers increasingly are promoted to non-equity “post-senior manager” positions rather than directly to partner (AICPA 2006). However, the accounting literature provides few insights into the factors underlying the creation of such positions by firms, or of the roles of the people holding these positions. This study provides the first set of detailed descriptive data on the position, based on survey responses from the largest 100 public accounting firm human resource directors and interview data from two partners who have held senior leadership roles in their firms. We also discuss implications for firms and researchers.