Organized professions -A study of ScHool reforms Johan Alvehus, Högskolan i Kristianstad Sanna Eklund, Förvaltningshögskolan, Göteborgs universitet Gustaf Kastberg, Förvaltningshögskolan, Göteborgs universitet

ORGANISATIONSNAMN (ÄNDRA SIDHUVUD VIA FLIKEN INFOGA-SIDHUVUD/SIDFOT) Background Lead teachers (förstelärare) and professors (lektorer) have made a entrance in the Swedish school sector We regard this reform as an attempt to strengthen the teachers as a professional group The strengthening of the profession is carried out with support from two central actors; the employer (the municipality and the principals at the schools) and the state. We argue: The reform challenges and affects (or at least might affect) existing professional and hierarchical structures in schools.

ORGANISATIONSNAMN (ÄNDRA SIDHUVUD VIA FLIKEN INFOGA-SIDHUVUD/SIDFOT) Professional work Strong professions are characterized by internal control and regulation Professional workers tend to set standards and norms for their work, which they evaluate and follow up on their own terms and conditions The core activity: application of expert skills to client problems Theoretical knowledge and long experience is used when making these judgments and makes the operations of the professions hard to grasp for an outsider The “pure” profession is autonomous in relation to market power, hierarchical organizational attempts to govern, and interference from the state

Challanged profession ORGANISATIONSNAMN (ÄNDRA SIDHUVUD VIA FLIKEN INFOGA-SIDHUVUD/SIDFOT) Challanged profession A recurrent theme during the last decades within the literature on the public sector and professional work has been how reforms (NPM inspired) carried out have affected the work force The existing literature does not give a clear answer regarding the extent to and how which professional work has been affected If there has been an impact it has been in the direction towards a lesser degree of professionalization “De-professionalization” and “proletarization” of professions, but also as a “new professionalism”

ORGANISATIONSNAMN (ÄNDRA SIDHUVUD VIA FLIKEN INFOGA-SIDHUVUD/SIDFOT) Competing logics A literature review shows that there are several factors that can be expected to have an impact on professions: an enhanced external audit (b) marketization and customer orientation (c) hierarchization/centralization within organizations.

We can observe this in the school sector ORGANISATIONSNAMN (ÄNDRA SIDHUVUD VIA FLIKEN INFOGA-SIDHUVUD/SIDFOT) We can observe this in the school sector Auditing: Skolinspektionen Marketization: voucher model and customer orientation Hierarchy: A strengthened role of principals Still, there are several attempts at strengthening the profession: lead teachers, teacher’s license, now: less bureaucracy So, we see a mix of initiatives… … and an obvious risk of conflict

Research problem and purpose ORGANISATIONSNAMN (ÄNDRA SIDHUVUD VIA FLIKEN INFOGA-SIDHUVUD/SIDFOT) Research problem and purpose The different control and governance logics in play may be in conflict with each other We therefore intend to scrutinize the ongoing attempts of professionalization The purpose: to generate more knowledge about what happens when there is an active attempt by external actors to strengthen a profession Can actions and measures taken by external actors strengthen a professional group?

ORGANISATIONSNAMN (ÄNDRA SIDHUVUD VIA FLIKEN INFOGA-SIDHUVUD/SIDFOT) Contribution The study will contribute to our knowledge at different levels. First, to the discussion about the conditions regarding the establishment and maintenance of professions -The emphasis on conditions indicates our focus on strategies, choices and observable measures taken by different actors Second, to contribute with an investigation of the reforms that aim at strengthening the profession of the Swedish teachers

Theoretical approach Actor-network theory as a starting point ORGANISATIONSNAMN (ÄNDRA SIDHUVUD VIA FLIKEN INFOGA-SIDHUVUD/SIDFOT) Theoretical approach Actor-network theory as a starting point ANT places emphasis on regarding stability as temporal and focuses on how actors and structures operate in attempts to create strong, stable networks Different groups of actors are expected to have different agendas and rationalities Helps us with an approach that forces us to be open-minded, still systematic

Empirical investigation: ORGANISATIONSNAMN (ÄNDRA SIDHUVUD VIA FLIKEN INFOGA-SIDHUVUD/SIDFOT) Empirical investigation: Seven schools, four municipalities Longitudinal approach (each school 1–1,5 years) Interviews, observations, and shadowing Now? We are half way through the empirical investigation