FOR THE PROFESSIONALIZATION OF GR

Our profession is characterized by a lack of standards for training and practice, disorganisation and disunity among practitioners,a lack of recognition of the profession among clients and the public. These circumstances will only improve if practitioners unite and form professional associations to impose discipline and standardization and to achieve recognition through education, legislation and public relations.

A profession is defined as 1) an occupation or vocation requiring training in the liberal arts or the sciences and advanced study in a specialised field; 2) the body of qualified persons of one specific occupation or field.

Professionalization Concepts

There are two schools of thought, those who accept the "trait theory" of professionalization and those who uphold the "theory of control."

1. Trait Theory

The trait theory states that an occupation becomes a profession by attaining certain characteristics, including adherence to a code of ethics, a body of theoretical knowledge, licensure or registration, and loyalty to colleagues. Proponents of the trait theory have devised checklists of attributes that can be ticked off to determine how far a given occupation has progressed toward the goal of professionalization.

2. Theory of Control

The theory of control, on the other hand, goes beyond internal characteristics and looks at how the occupation relates to other components of the labour market and institutions in society. According to this view, the more control practitioners of an occupation are able to exert over the substance of their work and the market in which they operate, the more professionalized the occupation. The theory of control views professions in terms of the amount of power they wield, and that professionalization is a collective effort rather than an individual one: Powerful professions are characterized by powerful associations. An occupational group can exert both internal control (over the body of knowledge and training required for entry into the field and the behaviour or ethics of the practitioners) and external control (working conditions and relations with clients). The legal profession, for example, defines not only the curriculum of law schools and the content of bar exams, but also the standards for training and testing in related occupations (paralegals, court reporters, court clerks). As a result, these related occupations have comparatively little autonomy and are less likely to attain the degree of professionalization that lawyers and judges enjoy.

One element of prestigious professions that has often been remarked upon is the mystification of the specialised knowledge acquired by practitioners. Often the aura of mystique is created by using terms of art and jargon when "talking shop" with colleagues, thus excluding the uninitiated from the dialogue. A profession that succeeds in mystifying its expertise is able to control the market by prohibiting interlopers from practicing the profession. A corollary to the mystification principle is the notion that professions gain power by defining the needs of their clients rather than allowing the clients to set the agenda. If the client is able to understand what the practitioner is doing to help him accomplish his goal, he maintains a certain amount of control over the transaction.

The theory of control also posits that powerful professions establish alliances with the state. If they are perceived as performing a service that benefits the public, the state will grant them special privileges and independence. They are more likely to be self-regulated than other occupations (consider the Bar Association's role in writing bar exam and disciplining its members, for example), and this autonomy, in turn, enhances the public's trust in the profession .

The theory of control is more useful than the trait theory for understanding how an occupation becomes a profession, but it fails to provide guidelines for an occupation that aspires to achieve that objective.

Professional Model

The first phase (Phase I) in the process of professionalization is market disorder. This period is characterized by fierce competition among the practitioners of an occupation: Practitioners in the market cannot keep outsiders from entering practice. They themselves may have started practice as outsiders or quacks. Recipients of the service either have very little understanding of what practitioners do or very little confidence in the services they receive. It is very likely that the public simply does not care about the quality of the services. Hence, distrust and misunderstanding permeate the market. What matters more to clients, in the absence of quality control, is usually price. Whoever demands the lowest fees gets the job. When the clients need services, they simply call upon anyone who is around and asking a reasonable fee. Clients who demand quality services are usually troubled by the fact that they do not know where to get qualified practitioners for services.

Unlike doctors or lawyers, who are able to mystify their occupations, GR pracitioners deal with clients who think they know what GR professionals do (and think it is very simple), but in fact do not. The upshot is that GR is not mystified by the client's ignorance, but merely devalued.

In such a situation, practitioners have little incentive to obtain specialised training. As competition increases, however, they may view training as a means of obtaining a competitive edge. Ironically, training may be viewed as a source of both cohesion and disturbance of the market. Training schools vary considerably in admission standards, duration of training, curricula and the qualifications of graduates and instructors. Training institutions may end up competing for students to stay afloat, and as a consequence, they may oversupply the market with excessive numbers of practitioners. The increased competition makes it difficult for practitioners to convince clients to respect their job descriptions and consequently their control over the working conditions. The result is a vicious cycle of unprofessional behavior and mistrust of practitioners by their clients .

Eventually, though, training institutions do have a positive impact, because the most highly-trained practitioners become dissatisfied with the status quo. The graduates of the most prestigious schools are likely to nurture and cultivate the same vision for the market, so that when the number of such graduates reaches a certain proportion of the practitioners in the market, the consensus that the occupation should be organised to protect clients from malpractice and themselves from outsiders comes naturally among such practitioners .

Thus begins Phase II, the consolidation of the profession and the development of a consensus about practitioners' aspirations. Training institutions must adapt to an increased demand for quality services. They also support the emergence of professional associations as a means of enhancing the prestige of their graduates. Professional associations are a critical factor in professionalization. In this third stage (Phase III), professionals can really work collectively with their colleagues to exert their influence over their job description and the behaviour of their colleagues, control admission into their circle and appeal to clients and the public for recognition of the profession. The power and achievements of the association strengthen the commitment of members to the course they are pursuing.

The next step is for the professional association(s) to formulate ethical standards. The enforcement of the code of ethics is crucial, because it functions externally as one of the bargaining chips to earn public trust and internally as an indispensable tool for internal control. As professional associations become more influential, their codes of ethics become more sophisticated and are more strictly enforced; but if enforcement is weak, the associations cannot be powerful or function properly.

Another factor in increasing professionalization is control of admission to the profession. A strong association can require all practitioners to be members in good standing in order to practice legally. It may also play a role in accreditation of practitioners, although that function is often reserved to the government. As professional associations gain strength, they are able to exert more influence on the public through publicity campaigns. With publicity measures the association tries to convince the clientele and the public to accept its definition of the professional content of work and working conditions. In other words, the purpose is to achieve market control. If the public relations campaign is successful, the professional association can then try to influence political and legal authorities through lobbying campaigns with a view to achieving legislative recognition and licensure. This marks the final phase (Phase IV) at which point the profession has managed to ensure its own protection and autonomy.

The transition from Phase I to Phase IV is not a smooth or quick progression. It is not a peaceful evolution, but rather a process involving conflicts and a power struggle at each stage. In particular, evolving from Phase I to Phase III depends on the resilience of the practitioners aspiring for professionalization in holding out against unqualified competitors and market encroachers. The consensus and commitment reached at the second stage are fragile, because practitioners may change their occupation if better job alternatives are available or making a living becomes too demoralizing, thus shrinking the population and reducing the force of the professional aspirants. Although a professional association is a sine qua non for professionalization, even with an association in place, dissent among the members can weaken its effectiveness. A key factor is enforcement of the code of ethics: The effectiveness of the professional association in projecting the collective image of the profession to the public and legal authorities rests upon the extent to which it can control and develop the expertise and enforce the code of ethics. It is impossible to overemphasize its importance and relevance to the overall development of the profession .

Professionalization is a circular process, with each phase providing feedback and reinforcement to the previous phase. It is also important to look at the social context in which an emerging profession exists. If other, more powerful professions oppose the recognition of the occupation in question as a profession, it will have a more difficult time emerging. The legal profession has tight control of the body of knowledge required for practicing law, and it will not easily relinquish that control to an allied profession.

Another factor that needs to be taken into account is public perception that the occupation is important and connected to the well-being of the people. When a particular service of a rising profession is not in demand, the public is not likely to recognise its importance and relevance to their lives. As a result, actions taken to persuade the public to support the professionalization of a particular occupation cannot be effective .

There are numerous obstacles to professionalization. The first one is "confusion of the professional title". It is well known that the lay public does not understand the differences between lobbying, advocacy, public affairs, government relations and often misuses the terms.

Another obstacle to professionalization cited  is the lack of a systematic body of knowledge exclusive to the profession. There is still no consensus about whether GR is an art or a science. A corollary to this obstacle, then, is public misconceptions about the profession. Clients  do not know how to recruit qualified lobbyists , thereby enabling unqualified lobbyists to survive in the market, provided they can maintain good relations with the clients . Paradoxically, because of the common misconception that GR is an effortless activity, clients think that it is easy to evaluate the quality of the GR services they are receiving. Only when clients have no clue on which to base their evaluation of GR can GR evoke any sense of awe among clients. This is detrimental to professionalization.

Prescriptions for Professionalization                        

To overcome these obstacles, there is a need to develop strong professional associations that represent the majority of practitioners. An association cannot be expected to fully realize its power if it only represents a portion of competent practitioners. In a well-established profession, practitioners cannot operate without being members of a professional association.  Therefore, the limited representation of GR associations, is the major problem these associations are facing in the struggle to fully realize their potential .

GR practitioners worldwide must join hands with researchers and scholars to develop the body of knowledge and in the process to settle the confusion over the professional title. GR practitioners should cooperate more closely with associations they belong to in campaigns for the promotion of the profession. The associations, though they have made considerable achievements, should not degenerate into inaction because of complacency, for their objectives have not yet been reached. On the other hand, the practitioners should not be discouraged at the inherent difficulty of professionalization for GR because as long as the occupation is developing and the associations adopt appropriate strategies for development, and there is the possibility of favorable changes in the overall professional climate, GR may have a chance of growing into maturity .

Guidelines for Professionalization

1. Clarification of terminology (i.e., settling on a clear definition and a universally recognised name for the occupation);
2. Clarification of the role(s) of the GR practitioner;
3. Provision of training for GR practitioners;
4. Provision of training for trainers of GR practitioners;
5. Provision of training for professionals working with GR practitioners (client education) and
6. Accreditation of GR practitioners.

The respect of other professionals for GR practitioners will certainly increase if the latter's competency is guaranteed by a rigorous accreditation system. Indeed, it is not enough to evaluate a potential GR practitioner’s abilities at the end of training; what is also required is national recognition of their GR skills by means of an accreditation procedure established by a professional body. This said, certification or accreditation alone does not guarantee professionalism.

The market disorder characterizes GR in Europe. Clients have no way of knowing which GR professionals are competent, since there is no certification programme in most areas. Thus, they tend to accept the lowest bidder, which intensifies the competition among rival GR practitioners . The result is often unprofessional behavior, which further lowers the public's opinion of the occupation.

Recommendations

Practitioners must reach a consensus about their role and function, and must then educate their clients . Formal training programmes should be instituted, which means that competent trainers must be identified and cultivated. As these training programmes become established, professional associations should emerge to represent the interests of GR professionals and to enforce the code of ethics. In turn, as these associations grow stronger, they should strive to educate the public and potential clients about the role the GR practitioners play and the importance of hiring a trained professional. They should also establish a good working relationship with the relevant legal authorities who may wish to regulate the profession. A credible certification programme should be developed to encourage practitioners to obtain proper training and to instill public trust in the profession. This is not a linear process, but a circular or spiral progression, with each stage influencing both the preceding and succeeding ones.

As a result of this process, GR will be a strong and respected profession with a recognised body of knowledge and credentialing process, a financially and intellectually rewarding occupation that will attract the most qualified practitioners. It will not be a smooth or easy process, but it will be well worth the effort.

FOR THE PROFESSIONALIZATION OF GR