Presented By: Interdisciplinary Committee on Organizational Studies - ICOS
The Inherent Tension between Managerial and Professional Knowledge
Elizabeth Anderson
Professional workers, especially in health care and education, are among the least happy, most burnt-out categories of workers. This should be surprising, given that what they do is inherently meaningful, and that the content of their work is interesting and engages skills that most people find intrinsically rewarding to exercise. I argue that the discontent of so many professionals is likely due to their increasing proletarianization. As professionals become increasingly submerged as employees in large organizations, often operated on a for-profit basis, they suffer losses of professional autonomy. The organizations they work for operate on a managerial logic that disdains and suppresses the kinds of local, personal, practical knowledge that professionals cultivate and need to exercise to do their jobs well. I explore the contrasts between the kind of knowledge managers use to pursue organizational goals and the kind of knowledge professionals use in their everyday interactions with patients, students, and clients, to explain the pervasive burnout of professionals in large organizations.
Livestream Information
LivestreamOctober 27, 2023 (Friday) 1:30pm
Meeting Password: 075940
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