| Convenors: Prof.dr. Celeste P.M.Wilderom, University of Twente
(c.p.m.wilderom@sms.utwente.nl)
and Prof.dr. Royston Greenwood (rgreenwo@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca)
Currently, the fastest growing segment of the Western population
of organizations (or organizational work units) consists of the
professional service organization or group. These organizations
range from professional service firms (such as accounting, law,
architecture, advertising and engineering firms) that have distinctive
governance and organizational arrangements, to more traditionally
organized and governed organizations (or organizational staff units)
of professionals (e.g., in the areas of health, education, finance,
marketing, research, HRM). Individual professionals, moreover, are
becoming more-and-more the pillars of our ‘service/information or
knowledge societies.’
From our perspective, a key question is how society at large can
gain from professionals through better organizing (including perhaps
more self-organizing) of them. It is known that the professional
organizational prototype carries elements of the bureaucratic, entrepreneurial
and voluntary organization. Yet, the operating logic and dynamics
of the professional organization/group differ significantly from
these organizational forms. This is partly a consequence of its
service character, which is significantly different from a manufacturing
identity; ‘outputs’ of professional organizations are typically
intangible while customers are actively involved. Professional service
provision, furthermore, involves the utilization of complex knowledge
by one or more professionals. And these professionals have to continually
learn as professional knowledge and needs of customers expand. Moreover,
there is mostly information asymmetry between ‘supplier’ and ‘consumer.’
These and other characteristics of the professional service setting
bring with them sets of managerial, organizational and behavioral
challenges that are imperfectly understood and insufficiently studied.
Key, for instance, in any professional type work setting
is a strong need among many professionals ‘to learn’ and at the
same time to improve the quality of their work. This learning occurs
typically in close cooperation with bosses, co-workers, mentors,
clients and external advisors. Plus, increasingly, use is made of
new information and knowledge technologies. Such processes of learning
and changing seem necessary because most professional work is dealing
with an increasing variety of needs of consumers and other relevant
stakeholders. We are thus challenged to develop new and acceptable
arrangements for high-quality professional work. This type of work
calls for particular leadership styles, strategies, organizational
and HRM practices as well as governance modes. Exactly what kind
and amount of these behaviors, strategies and work practices will
prove successful for the harnessing of professional effort and learning
is not completely known, but long term societal development will
be affected by our ability to learn on this score. These are key
questions of our Standing Working Group.
Some would argue that (inter-organizational) professional networks
have become more important than the professional service organizations/units
themselves. Others may argue that ‘professionalism’ is a form to
standardization (through routinization of professional behaviors)
which reduces the vitality or creativity of professions. Moreover,
professionals are often associated with highly institutionalized
behaviors: professions are sometimes portrayed as essentially conservative
and resistant to change. Is this a valid portrayal? How is change
accommodated within professions in modern society? Discussions on
this theme are also welcome.
We would also welcome papers dealing with the individual behavioral
and/or cognitive aspects of becoming or developing as a professional.
Moreover, images of professional behaviors, in any work or career
setting, as a leading or influencing norm could be discussed as
well: when is someone considered ‘a professional’ within his or
her work, profession or career?
Scholars of professional service firms, the professions, professionals
or professionalization (also e.g. within hospitals, universities,
public-sector organizations, etc.) should find a stimulating home
in this eclectic standing workgroup. We will have our first meeting
in Copenhagen, 2003 and we encourage a variety of disciplinary approaches.
These include sociological and psychological approaches, but also
those rooted in the anthropological, political, educational, or
managerial literatures. We welcome papers that provide thoughtful
analysis or study on the Copenhagen theme, as long as issues of
‘professionalization’ are embraced.
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