From Teacher to Manager: Hybridization as a Pathway Towards a New Profession

The concept of hybrid professionals refers to individuals who acquire skills and knowledge beyond their core area of expertise to navigate institutional complexity. It is often applied to public-sector professionals who extend their roles into managerial areas, requiring them to complement their original expertise with additional management knowledge. Through a historical case study of the education and training of Swedish school principals, this article examines the role of such additional knowledge in professional development over time, aiming to deepen our understanding of how hybrid professionalism evolves. Data were drawn from extant research, archival documents, and testimonies, and analyzed using a historical case study approach focusing on conditions, actions, and effects. Findings show that the introduction and evolution of the additional knowledge base initially fostered hybridization but eventually contributed to the emergence of a new, distinct profession separate from the original group. Three conditions facilitating this transition are identified: (1) a weakened original profession, (2) societal recognition of additional knowledge as valuable, and (3) supportive but not overly controlling governmental actions. Policy implications suggest that an ambivalent governmental stance—oscillating between support and strict control—can perpetuate a perception of weakness in the new profession, necessitating ongoing external reinforcement.