Sociological Analysis of Professionalism: Past, Present and Future

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Evetts
Keyword(s):  
Armed Forces ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Sociological Analysis ◽  
Professional Work ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
Commercial Organizations

AbstractFor a long time, sociological analysis of professional work has differentiated professionalism as a special means of organizing work and controlling workers and in contrast to the hierarchical, bureaucratic and managerial controls of industrial and commercial organizations. But professional work is changing and being changed as increasingly professionals (such as doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers) now work in employing organizations; lawyers and accountants in large professional service firms (PSFs) and sometimes in international and commercial organizations; pharmacists in national (retailing) companies; and engineers, journalists, performing artists, the armed forces and police find occupational control of their work and discretionary decision-making increasingly difficult to sustain. This paper begins with a section on defining the field and clarifying concepts. This is followed by a second section on the concept of professionalism, its history and current developments. The third section discusses convergences between Anglo-American and Continental European systems of professions and the general, wider applicability of particular explanatory theories and analytical concepts in the field. Section four examines internationalizing processes affecting professions. Markets for professional services are increasingly international and professional regulation is now a matter for international professional federations as well as national and regional states. The final section provides summary and considers consequences for aspects of professionalism as an occupational value in the global world.

Outsourcing and Offshoring of Professional Services

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mari Sako
Keyword(s):  
Digital Technology ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Work ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Business Services ◽  
Professional Business ◽  
New Entrants

This chapter analyzes the causes and consequences of outsourcing and offshoring by professional service firms (PSFs). Outsourcing and offshoring result from the same strategic drivers triggering firms to reconfigure their activities organizationally (make-or-buy) and geographically (onshore or offshore). The chapter reviews various economic and management theories that are relevant to outsourcing and offshoring, and makes links to professional services. It then discusses trends towards disaggregation and standardization of professional work, along with digital technology, as prerequisites for outsourcing and offshoring. The chapter homes in on PSFs, and argues that the mode of decisions over outsourcing and offshoring is affected by PSFs’ governance structure. It identifies reasons why professional partnerships make reluctant outsourcers and offshorers compared to managed professional business, and discusses the consequences of outsourcing and offshoring by PSFs, focusing on the ecology of professions, with non-professionals competing with professionals, and the disruptive nature of new entrants in business services.

scholarly journals Segmentation of quantity surveying professional services for focus strategy and diversification

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 294-308
Author(s):  
Michael Adesi ◽  
De-Graft Owusu-Manu ◽  
Frank Boateng
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quantity Surveying ◽  
Focus Strategy

Purpose Notwithstanding that numerous studies have focused on strategy in quantity surveying (QS) professional service firms, there is a paucity of investigation on the segmentation of QS professional services. The purpose of this study is to investigate the segmentation of QS services for diversification and a focus strategy formation. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts the positivist stance and quantitative approach in which a simple random sampling technique was used to select participants. In total, 110 survey questionnaires were administered to registered professional QS, out of which 79 completed questionnaires were returned for analysis. Findings The paper identifies three main QS service segments characterised by low, moderate and high competition. In addition, this study found that the concentration of traditional QS services in the building construction sector is due to the unwillingness of QS professional service firms to diversify into the non-construction sectors such as oil and gas. The diversification of QS services in the low competitive segment requires the adoption of agile approaches. Research limitations/implications The study was limited to numeric analyses and so would be complemented by qualitative research in the future. Practical implications This paper is useful to QS professional service firms interested in diversifying their services into the non-construction sectors to enhance the pricing of their services. Originality/value Segmentation of QS services is fundamental to the formulation of focus strategy for non-construction sectors such as oil and gas and mining to enhance the pricing of QS professional services.

ORGANISING FOR INNOVATION IN PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FIRMS: ECONOMETRIC EVIDENCE FROM THE UK

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
JANE BOURKE ◽  
STEPHEN ROPER ◽  
JAMES H LOVE
Keyword(s):  
Information Sharing ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Work Practices ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Econometric Evidence ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
The Uk

Undertaking innovation involves a range of different activities from ideation to the commercialisation of innovations. Each activity may have very different resources and organisational requirements, however, most prior studies treat innovation as a single un-differentiated activity. Here, using new survey data for professional service firms (PSFs) in the UK, we are able to examine separately how a range of organisational work practices influence success in ideation and commercialisation. In particular, we use principal component analysis (PCA) to identify and compare the benefits of four groups of organisational work practices relating to strategy & information sharing, recruitment & training, work flexibility & discretion and culture & leadership. Strong contrasts emerge between those work practices that are important for success in ideation and commercialisation. Work practices linked to culture & leadership are important for ideation activities, while strategy &information sharing practices are more strongly associated with commercialisation success. The results suggest clear managerial implications depending on the priority

Value Configurations

2010 ◽  
pp. 75-97
Author(s):  
Hans Solli-Sæther ◽  
Petter Gottschalk
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Value Network ◽  
A Value ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Contingent Approach

Understanding how firms differ is a central challenge for both theory and practice of management. For a long time, Porter’s (1985) value chain was the only value configuration known to managers. Stabell and Fjeldstad (1998) identified two alternative value configurations. First, a value shop schedules activities and applies resources in a fashion that is dimensioned and appropriate to the needs of client problems, while a value chain performs a fixed set of activities that enables it to produce a standard product in large numbers. Examples of value shops are professional service firms, as found in medicine, law, architecture and engineering. Next, a value network links clients or customers who are or wish to be interdependent. Examples of value networks are logistic companies, telephone companies, retail banks and insurance companies. In this chapter, we apply the contingent approach to systems outsourcing by making the outsourcing decision dependent on the value configuration of the enterprise. We present the three different value configurations – the value chain, the value shop, and the value network. Next, the three different value configurations are compared according to key characteristics, e.g. use of information systems. Then, we take a look at interfirm relations to be able to identify areas for outsourcing, and value configuration as a determinant and predictor for the extent of outsourcing. Finally, we discuss levels of strategy and we introduce the Y-model for IS/IT strategy work.

Entrepreneurship and Professional Service Firms

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Reihlen ◽  
Andreas Werr
Keyword(s):  
Professional Services ◽  
New Venture ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Levels Of Analysis ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Entrepreneurial Opportunities ◽  
Entrepreneurial Firm ◽  
Venture Management ◽  
Entrepreneurial Team

Research on entrepreneurship in professional services is rather limited. The authors argue that one reason why the two fields of professional services and entrepreneurship have operated in isolation rather than in mutual interaction is an inherent contradiction between the very ideas of entrepreneurship and professionalism. The perspective on entrepreneurship for this chapter is rather broad, focusing on new venture management and renewal in Professional Service Firms as well as embracing aspects such as learning, innovation, and institutional change. The chapter reviews previous work on entrepreneurship in professional services from three levels of analysis—the entrepreneurial team, the entrepreneurial firm, and finally the organizational field within which the creation and exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities take place.

Clients and cases: ambiguity and the division of labour in professional service firms

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 408-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan Alvehus
Keyword(s):  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Work ◽  
Work Processes ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Way

Purpose By drawing on a detailed case study of the work of tax consultants, the purpose of this paper is to develop a more detailed understanding of the role of ambiguity in professional work, and its relationship to the division of labour in professional service firms (PSFs). Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a three-year, longitudinal interpretive case study comprising 42 interviews, supplemented by observations and document data. Findings The research determines that processes of “obfuscation” and “privatisation” separate client work from case work. This maintains a division of labour between junior and senior professionals, which in turn facilitates financial leverage. The findings indicate that a more nuanced view on the role and origins of ambiguity is needed; particularly the role ambiguity plays in the division of labour. While inherent in professional work, ambiguity is also an effect of the way work processes are organised in order to obtain leverage. Research limitations/implications The research is based on a case study. Therefore, the paper explores its topic in empirical detail, but at the same time calls for exploring the topic in different contexts. The paper encourages further research on the role ambiguity plays being constituted by structural arrangements, and on the way the core of professionalism is inverted by the division of labour. The paper highlights the value of detailed empirical approaches for understanding professional work. Practical implications The paper draws attention to the way ambiguity becomes a part in sustaining a division of labour among professional workers, and to the importance of this in maintaining financial leverage as well as in creating a precarious work situation for junior professionals. Social implications The paper raises concerns about the way professional work is legitimated in society as opposed to how it is constructed in PSFs. Originality/value The paper challenges prevalent notions of professional work as ambiguous, offering instead a way of engaging with professional work processes in detail, theoretically and methodologically. Traditional assumptions about the division of labour and the “core” of professional work are problematized, and traditional assumptions about ambiguity as a cause of specific structural arrangements are questioned.

An emerging market perspective of what makes professional service firms successful

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 57-78
Author(s):  
Felix Nana Abaka Sackey ◽  
Livingstone Divine Caesar
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Markets ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Strategic Partnerships ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Despite the criticality of strategic partnerships to the survival and success of professional service firms (PSF) in emerging markets, there is a dearth of research on the subject matter. Specifically, not much is known concerning the dynamics of partnerships among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the professional services sector of the economy. This paper aims to explore the dynamics of the impact of constructs such as attributes of partnership, communication behaviour and collaborative conflict resolution on partnership success. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative survey sent to 300 small and medium-sized PSFs achieved a 79% response rate. The data is then analysed using bivariate and multi-variate techniques. Findings The results revealed a positive relationship between two of the three constituents of attributes of the partnership (i.e. commitment and coordination) and the success of partnerships. Commitment and coordination emerged as the significant attributes of partners that affect the success of the partnership. Contrary to previous studies, trust and information sharing did not have a positive impact on partnership success. Practical implications PSFs in emerging markets need concerted efforts to maintain competitive and sustainable partnerships. To make any significant impact, they must develop contemporary skills in collaborative conflict management. Originality/value This paper highlights the need for PSFs and SMEs in other service sectors of emerging markets to harness partnerships as a valuable tool to overcome the policy shortcomings of current regulatory frameworks within their respective markets.

Value Shop Configuration

2011 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Petter Gottschalk
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
A Value ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Way

To comprehend the value that information technology provides to organizations, we must first understand the way a particular organization conducts business and how information systems affect the performance of various component activities within the organization. Understanding how firms differ is a central challenge for both theory and practice of management. For a long time, Porter’s (1985) value chain was the only value configuration known to managers. Stabell and Fjeldstad (1998) have identified two alternative value configurations. A value shop schedules activities and applies resources in a fashion that is dimensioned and appropriate to the need’s of the client’s problem, while a value chain performs a fixed set of activities that enables it to produce a standard product in large numbers. Examples of value shops are professional service firms, as found in medicine, law, architecture and engineering. A value network links clients or customers who are or wish to be interdependent. Examples of value networks are telephone companies, retail banks and insurance companies. A value configuration describes how value is created in a company for its customers. A value configuration shows how the most important business processes function to create value for customers. A value configuration represents the way a particular organization conducts business.

Sources of Homogeneity and Heterogeneity across Professional Services

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew von Nordenflycht ◽  
Namrata Malhotra ◽  
Timothy Morris
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Organization Theory ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Sociology Of Professions ◽  
Organization And Management

Research on Professional Service Firms (PSFs) has tended to treat them as homogeneous and to assume there are similarities in how they are organized and managed. This assumption has been challenged recently as scholars have drawn attention to organizational differences stemming from sources of heterogeneity. The authors argue that rigorous theorizing about the organization and management of PSFs requires an understanding of sources of both homogeneity and heterogeneity and their specific implications. They synthesize insights from the sociology of professions literature and the economics and organization theory literatures to distil key sources of homogeneity and heterogeneity. They also identify firm-level characteristics that drive heterogeneity within a particular professional service. The authors propose an overarching framework of sources of homogeneity and heterogeneity that helps interpret the generalizability of existing research and has the potential to better inform future empirical research on PSFs.

Quality systems in health care: a situational approach

1998 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.D. van der Bij ◽  
T. Vollmar ◽  
M.C.D.P. Weggeman
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Quality Control ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
Iso 9000 ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Quality Systems ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firm

Many views on quality management in professional service firms derived from ideas of industrial quality management. It seems that in the area of professional services these ideas are taken over without much criticism. For instance, the ideas on quality control and quality assurance generally are heavily based on the ISO 9000 standards. In The Netherlands the PACE‐standards have been deduced from the ISO 9000 standards for application in hospitals. In this paper it has been argued that in many cases a more situational approach will be preferable. A global framework for a quality system in a professional service firm has been presented.This framework has been compared with the restrictions for quality systems in hospitals, following from the PACE‐standards.

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