Hybrid Professionalism and Beyond: (New) Forms of Professionalism in Changing Organizational and Societal Contexts

Abstract

It is tempting to stick to traditional, ‘pure’ images of professionalism—as the protected treatment of complex cases—and to resist ‘alien’ intrusions, especially managerial ‘encroachments’. However, it has become rather normal to link professionalism to well-managed organizational surroundings and to focus on emerging hybrid professional practices in which professional work is (re)organized in one way or the other. Contradictory professional and managerial principles such as autonomy and control, or quality and efficiency, are combined in order to establish contemporary professional actions. This article analyses the hybridization of professional work in public domains, in order to accomplish three things. First, we show what hybridization is about and which types of hybridization are identified. Second, we show the importance of hybridization, against the background of (changing) organizational and societal contexts. Third, we move beyond hybridization and discuss ‘organizing professionalism’ as a new model of professionalism. Organizing becomes a normal part of professional work—instead of an hybrid, ‘uneasy’ combination of professional and managerial principles.