Some Organzational Considerations in the Professional-Organizational Relationship

The professional organization and the professional department within the larger organization are compared in terms of their organizational structures. The findings suggest that although professional departments and heteronomous professional organizations are found to be generally more bureaucratized than autonomous professional organizations, professional departments in particular are not inherently more bureaucratic. Thus the professional may not find himself necessarily in conflict with the larger organization. A higher level of bureaucratization was found among less professionalized groups, suggesting that in the absence of professional norms, organizational norms may maintain equilibrium. As a group becomes more professionalized, conflict may increase unless the level of bureaucratization is reduced. Professional departments were found to rely less on standards of technical competence in the selection and advancement of personnel, providing a possible source of conflict for the professional. Richard H. Hall is associate professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota.