Professionals in Organizations: Debunking a Myth

Organization theories have given only brief attention to the role of professionals in the workplace. When mentioned, it is posited that major differences exist between professionals and nonprofessionals owing their loyalties more to their discipline/profession than to the organization for which they work. For this reason professionals are thought to be a breed apart who must be treated differently by administrators. Guy, basing her conclusions on studies conducted at two hospitals, shows that these assumptions are not completely true. She finds that the urgency of the task at hand determines priorities much more than does professional identification. She also found that many professionals within an organization had as much in common with staff from other disciplines as they had with professional colleagues. These findings have important ramifications for managers, program planners and researchers in organizational behavior.