The sociological analysis of professional work has differentiated professionalism as a special means of organizing work and controlling workers. After clarifying the three concepts of profession, professionalization and professionalism, the paper continues with a section on professionalism, its history and current developments. The second section considers the main challenges to, and the third section the opportunities for, professionalism as an occupational value and for this category of professional practitioners and employees in the labour market.

The proliferation of reforms in public administration based on the principles and instruments of the “New Public Management” (NPM) have triggered protest from and collective action by many professional groups in various sectors (healthcare, education, justice, social work, research. . .) and raised questions about the future of professionals working in the public service, particularly as concerns their autonomy. However, after analyzing the situation, it seems that the opposition between NPM and certain professional groups is not the last word in the debate. Should changes be seen as the decline of professional groups and of their autonomy or as a transformation of professional models, an overhaul of professionalism, etc.? Such questions, which current events in France and Europe have brought to the fore, are food for ongoing sociological thought. They are broached here empirically, from the field, applying varied levels of analysis and research. The contributors to this dossier explore the different forms of tension existing between professional groups and NPM.

The sociological analysis of professional work has differentiated professionalism as a special means of organizing work and controlling workers and in contrast to the hierarchical, bureaucratic and managerial controls of industrial and commercial organizations. But professional work is changing and being changed. The need to reconnect professional occupations and professional organizations is identified and the challenges this presents to professionalism as a normative value which implies occupational control of the work practices and procedures. The opportunities presented for professionals working in organizations are also indicated.

1 The changing world of professions and professional workers 3 Adrian Wilkinson, Donald Hislop and Christine Coupland 2 Hybrid organizations and hybrid professionalism: changes, continuities and challenges 16 Julia Evetts 3 Impact of managerialism upon professionals in public services organizations 35 Graeme Currie and Charlotte Croft 4 The changing nature of professional and managerial work: issues and challenges from an empirical study of the UK 60 Les Worrall, Kim Mather and Cary L. Cooper 5 Discourses of professional work 86 Christine Coupland 6 The work of global professional service firms 105 Mehdi Boussebaa and James Faulconbridge 7 Professions under pressure: voices from the field 123 Christine Coupland and Maree Boyle

For a long time, the sociological analysis of professional work has differentiated professionalism as a special means of organizing work and controlling workers and in contrast to the hierarchical, bureaucratic and managerial controls of industrial and commercial organizations. But professional work is changing and being changed as increasingly professionals (such as doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers) now work in employing organizations; lawyers and accountants in large professional service firms (PSFs) and sometimes in international and commercial organizations; pharmacists in national (retailing) companies; and engineers, journalists, performing artists, the armed forces and police find occupational control of their work and discretionary decision-making increasingly difficult to sustain.The paper begins with a section on defining the field of professional work, professional practice and its learning. The paper continues with a second section on the concept of professionalism, its history and current developments. The third section of the paper considers the changes, challenges and opportunities of the practice of professional work within employing organizations. The fourth section of the paper identifies some of the important contributions made by researchers on professional work to public policy developments, assessment and evaluation.

The author stresses not only how the social sciences remain dominated by within-state theorizing but also, and taking into account the internationalization of markets, how such approaches must adapt to the new context. The 'acquired regulation' defended by the author is based on a two-tier model, that is regulation shared both by a self-regulating professional association and by the state framework. From this perspective, two key models are compared: the Anglo- American and the Continental. The author concludes that the Anglo-American sociology of professions is more widely applicable since there are more distant connections with the state bureaucracy and closer connections with professionalism.

Professionalism is a key concept in the sociologies of work, occupations, professions and organizations. But professionalism is changing and being changed. The article considers the different ways in which professionalism has been and is currently being interpreted. Beginning with a section on defining the field and clarifying concepts, the second section examines the concept of professionalism, its history and current developments. The third section considers the consequences of changes in work contexts and employment conditions for aspects of professionalism both as an occupational value and as an ideology in the global world.

For a long time sociologists of professions have differentiated Anglo-American and European contexts for professional work. The presentation will address this distinction and argue that processes of convergence now render such differences somewhat obsolete except in historical accounts. In addition the convergence of professional systems and of regulatory states is also generating new inequalities both between professional groups themselves as well as within the organizations in which practitioners work. The presentation will examine convergences and inequalities at the macro level. Aspects to be considered include the changing role of the nation-state, the internationization of markets, the increased significance of the work organization and the different logics of professionalism. The extent of convergence and continuing divergences will be explored and social inequalities indicated. Macro-level processes and procedures including the growth of ‘hybrid’ organizations and new forms of managerialism can constitute new types of inequality and forms of stratification both within and between professions. The historical starting points within Europe and nation-state differences in professional systems make convergences and inequalities both highly complex and extremely variable.

The proliferation of reforms in public administration based on the principles and instruments of the “New Public Management” (NPM) have triggered protest from and collective action by many professional groups in various sectors (healthcare, education, justice, social work, research…) and raised questions about the future of professionals working in the public service, particularly as concerns their autonomy. However, after analyzing the situation, it seems that the opposition between NPM and certain professional groups is not the last word in the debate. Should changes be seen as the decline of professional groups and of their autonomy or as a transformation of professional models, an overhaul of professionalism, etc.? Such questions, which current events in France and Europe have brought to the fore, are food for ongoing sociological thought. They are broached here empirically, from the field, applying varied levels of analysis and research. The contributors to this dossier explore the different forms of tension existing between professional groups and NPM.

The proliferation of reforms in public administration based on the principles and instruments of the “New Public Management” (NPM) have triggered protest from and collective action by many professional groups in various sectors (healthcare, education, justice, social work, research. . .) and raised questions about the future of professionals working in the public service, particularly as concerns their autonomy. However, after analyzing the situation, it seems that the opposition between NPM and certain professional groups is not the last word in the debate. Should changes be seen as the decline of professional groups and of their autonomy or as a transformation of professional models, an overhaul of professionalism, etc.? Such questions, which current events in France and Europe have brought to the fore, are food for ongoing sociological thought. They are broached here empirically, from the field, applying varied levels of analysis and research. The contributors to this dossier explore the different forms of tension existing between professional groups and NPM.

For a long time, sociologists of professional occupations have differentiated professionalism as a special means of organizing work and controlling workers compared with and in contrast to the hierarchical, bureaucratic and managerial controls of industrial and commercial organizations. It is argued that professionalism is essentially different to organizational manageralism and, in public service sector work, professionalism has real advantages for both practitioner-workers and their clients. This interpretation of professionalism has a long history and in it professionalism is regarded as an occupational value. But professionalism is changing and being changed as public sector professionals (such as doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers) now work in organizational places of work and where organizational and managerial methods of work and worker control are affecting professionalism.

More and more reforms in public administrations are being conducted that are based on the principles and instruments of "new public management". They have set off protest and collective actions by several professional groups in various sectors (health, education, justice, social work, research ... ), whence questions about the future of professional groups in public services, in particular about their autonomy, which these reforms threaten. The opposition between this new public management and certain professional groups, is not the final explanation to draw from an analysis of this situation. Should these changes be seen as the decline of professional groups and of their autonomy, as a mutation of professional models, an overhaul of professionalism, etc.? These questions, which current events in France and Europe have raised, are a matter for ongoing sociological thought. They are approached empirically, from the field, using varied scales of analysis and research. Forms of tension between this new public management and professional groups are explored. (C) 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Sociologists interested in professional work and occupations have differentiated professionalism as a distinctive and special way of controlling and organizing work and workers, with real advantages for both practitioners and clients. In this interpretation the analysis of professionalism is as an 'occupational value'. But professionalism is changing and being changed as professionals now increasingly work in large-scale organizational workplaces and sometimes in international firms. This article explains professionalism as an occupational value and indicates both the changes to and continuities in professionalism in these organizational contexts. Then some of the possible consequences of the redefinition of professionalism are examined for practitioner-workers and their clients in public sector service work such as health, welfare and education. These consequences include changes in the work itself, in practitioner-employer and practitioner-client relations, and in the control of work priorities and processes. The final section considers if there might also be some advantages in the combination of professional and organizational logics for controlling work and workers and whether there are opportunities associated with these changes which might improve both the conduct and practice of professional service work, while being of benefit to practitioners and clients.

For a long time, sociological analysis of professional work has differentiated professionalism as a special means of organizing work and controlling workers and in contrast to the hierarchical, bureaucratic and managerial controls of industrial and commercial organizations. But professional work is changing and being changed as increasingly professionals (such as doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers) now work in employing organizations; lawyers and accountants in large professional service firms (PSFs) and sometimes in international and commercial organizations; pharmacists in national (retailing) companies; and engineers, journalists, performing artists, the armed forces and police find occupational control of their work and discretionary decision-making increasingly difficult to sustain. This paper begins with a section on defining the field and clarifying concepts. This is followed by a second section on the concept of professionalism, its history and current developments. The third section discusses convergences between Anglo-American and Continental European systems of professions and the general, wider applicability of particular explanatory theories and analytical concepts in the field. Section four examines internationalizing processes affecting professions. Markets for professional services are increasingly international and professional regulation is now a matter for international professional federations as well as national and regional states. The final section provides summary and considers consequences for aspects of professionalism as an occupational value in the global world.

The links between New Public Management (NPM) and the possible emergence of a new and different form of professionalism raise interesting and challenging questions for sociologists of professional groups. In this paper, an ideal-type (organizational/occupational professionalism) is used to examine the links between NPM and professionalism in the contexts of the public services of western post-industrial societies. Then the changes to and the continuities in professionalism in these organizational contexts and with NPM are indicated. The discussion section examines some of the consequences of the changes in professionalism for practitioner workers and their clients in public service sector work.