Personal Professionalism

Richard Beal, independent management consultant

"Professionalism requires...um... or maybe it doesn't now that I'm saying it out loud!" - a true-but-not-untypical response from a research informant.

This seminar will present a conceptual framework for personal professionalism, which was created in response to the doctoral research question "what is professionalism?", especially as the word 'professionalism' is applied to people who are not members of the learned professions - that is, most of us.  Research informants provided rich material and insights without ever really reaching agreement about what personal professionalism actually is.  However, from the research clear points of convergence of opinion could be identified and these came to form the basis for the conceptual framework. 

The framework has since been further refined through ongoing reflection, learning, observation and comment. The hope is that that framework will give young people entering the workforce a practical, well researched model on which to base their own professional development; and could potentially also provide employers with a model to guide their staff own development efforts.

Being Professional Richard Beale.ppt  

Richard Beal is an independent management consultant, specialising in organisation effectiveness.  He is in the final stage of editing his dissertation for a Doctor of Business Administration degree from Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia.  Research for the dissertation was conducted in both Australia and the UK, but experience living and working in Africa and the Middle East has influenced his thinking behind the ongoing development of a more normative version of the personal professionalism conceptual framework.

Publications:

“Re-searching ideology for strategic advantage: Building reputation capital through professionalism”, 6th World Congress on the Management of Intellectual Capital and Innovation, McMaster University, Ontario, January 2003 §        

“Professionalism as Reputation Capital:  Building Strategic Advantage”, The Global Business & Finance Research Conference, London, July 2003 §        

 “Professionalism:  The Competitive Edge in Successful Project Management”, Project Management Institute Conference, Wellington, New Zealand, November 2003.