7. Unity

Inside this Unity principle we find, for instance, cohesion, homogeneity, obedience to internal norms and respect for colleagues.

Arthur Andersen was possibly the first professional services firm to consider as a basic strategic feature the idea of becoming a single Global Firm, with all offices, in all countries, sharing a single income statement, a single method, a single identity. From the early 50s, an idea became established in Andersen: that, much against the natural instinct of professionals to be independent, different from each other, and also against what the competitors were doing, if the Firm wanted to be powerful it needed to apply decisively the concept of Unity.

One Firm, One Voice” was the motto that was applied to the ...

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