Managers, Professionals, or Public Servants? OrganizationalProfessionals in the Public Sector as Hybrid Professionals

• Published in: Public administration (London)
• Main Authors: Alamaa, Linda, Hall, Patrik, Löfgren, Karl
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2025
• Subjects: hybrid professionalism; identity work; institutional logics; narrative analysis; organizational professionals; TRAINS
• ISSN: 1467-9299; 0033-3298
• DOI: 10.1111/padm.70000

The expansion of organizational professionals in the public sector is often interpreted as a manifestation of increased managerial control and bureaucratisation, raising questions about shifting professional identities in public administration. This study contributes to research on hybrid professionalism and identity work by examining how organizational professionals themselves perceive this trend and how they justify their roles within public organizations. Based on a narrative analysis of interviews with 24 organizational professionals in Sweden, we examine how they construct their professional identity in relation to competing institutional logics. We expand the concept of hybrid professionalism by incorporating a public service logic alongside managerial and professional logics. We find that respondents frame their identity around the notion of performing a support function for frontline services. This positioning enables them to rearticulate managerial activities as supportive rather than controlling, thereby presenting their work as a response to bureaucratisation rather than a source of it. © 2025 The Author(s). Public Administration published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.