Professionalism and Bureaucracy: An Assessment in Conflict and Contradiction

Over the past 50 years, organizations have increasingly relied upon specialists and professionals that has corresponded with the increasing technical complexity of society. This trend toward increasing professionalism has stimulated much inquiry into the ways in which professionals adapt to employment in bureaucratic organizations and the ways in which these organizations accommodate professionals. Concerns have been raised among researchers who see potentially negative consequences which stem form seemingly inherent contradictions between bureaucratic and professional value systems. This paper examines the extent to which these concerns have been validated by the supporting research literature, with particular attention given toward an examination of professionalism in public organizations. Evidence is mixed regarding the presence of inherent conflict between professional and bureaucratic norms. The paper details some of the more important between professional and bureaucratic norms. The paper details some of the more important barriers that have impeded conceptual progress and concludes with some suggestions for future research