Ronald L. Austin

SOME THOUGHTS ON PROFESSIONALISM By Ronald L. Austin and David R. Austin

RECENTLY THE JUNIOR author had occasion to formulate a job description for a new position. While listing the requirements and duties for this position, he could not help but recall an article by Katz on organizational behavior. Katz emphasized that individuals must function beyond their formal roles, such as those denned by their job descriptions, if the organization is to perform effectively. He stressed that many members must go beyond their job descriptions and avoid strict adherence to the letter of the law set by the organization.

All recreation and park administrators can name more than one individual who is willing to do "more than his share," go "beyond the call of duty," and who is a team player, always willing to cooperate in order to get the job done. These are the true professionals!

Obviously, some have acquired professional attitudes and behaviors, others have not. But how are the "have-nots" induced into the ranks of the "haves"?

While still in school, future recreation leaders are inculcated with that metaphysical and spiritual quality called "professionalism," but in the world of academia it is difficult to teach, let alone measure, the degree of professionalism required by a learner. Thus the responsibility for instilling professionalism falls largely on the administrator in the field.

NEW DIRECTIONS

An inheritance from Max Weber, Henri Fayol, and others provided a traditional model of administration which tended to be formalistic and mechanistic. Administrators thought like this: "For what he's paid he should do exactly what he's supposed to do," or "With this carefully designed organizational structure, you'd think people would fall in line."

Studies at the Hawthorne Plant of the Western Electric Company began a move away from bureaucracy and toward a human relations point of view. The new breed of behavioral scientists led employers away from seeing employees as paid functionaries who were asked to behave like children and to view subordinates as contributing members of the organization; i.e., as being involved in the organization.

INVOLVEMENT

No one has the key which will open the door to professionalism. But one way to attain it is through involvement. All levels of personnel must feel involved if they are to function above minimal expectations. Involvement permits the individual to realize his personal worth. Likert's research revealed that high-producing managers have found that organizational relationships motivate individuals effectively when the employee feels that he is supported and recognized as a person, a person of importance and worth.

Employees should be encouraged to attach themselves to the organization. One means is through involvement in group decision-making concerning the function of their own work groups, and when possible, with the objectives of the department. Supervisors should meet with employees on a regular basis to "cuss and discuss" the best ways to accomplish outcomes. "Management by objectives" has become a byword in industry. An individual will naturally want to reach goals he himself has established.

JOB ENRICHMENT

Maslow's theory of motivation has been accepted by many organizational theorists. Maslow categorizes needs as physiological, safety, belongingness, esteem, and self - realization — ranked in a hierarchy from lowest to highest. Once a need is satisfied it no longer motivates. Since today's society satisfies the lower-level needs, they are simply "maintenance" factors. Attention of administrators should, consequently, be concentrated on the higher-level needs (esteem, self-realization), for these are the "motivators." In order to build up the motivational factors in jobs, jobs should be "enriched." But job enrichment should not be confused with job enlargement. The latter simply adds to the jobs or duties; the former, job enrichment, adds to job responsibilities—it makes jobs more challenging and

Ronald Austin, Ed.D., is Professor of Business Administration at Hanover College, Indiana; and David Austin is a Ph.D. candidate at the U of I in Park Administration.

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rewarding, with greater appeal to motivational factors.

The tie-in of job enrichment with going beyond a routine job assignment is obvious. By expanding job responsibilities, the boring or less attractive parts of the job are reduced. The job holder has greater freedom, his horizons are expanded, and greater self-actualization is attained. (While managing a hospital swimming pool, the junior author expanded the duties of the life guards—at their suggestion—to include teaching swimming as well as guarding.) Employees are then ready to be "coached" to assume jobs involving more responsibility.

Strict adherence to the letter of the job description results in a "closed system" which is orderly, systematic, but rigid. An "open system" type of operation leads to freedom, mutual sharing, and creativity.

A SUMMING UP

Employee involvement leads to insight into the total program and its objectives. Each member of the organizational team develops his own set of attainable objectives which are compatible with the aims of the total organization. Job enlargement may simply add duties in a horizontal fashion. Job enrichment provides depth. Employees achieve self-actualization by acceptance of greater responsibility. Involvement produces commitment. And from commitment follows the attainment of worthwhile organizational as well as personal goals.

References for the interested reader:

Herzberg, F. et al., The Motivation to Work. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1959.

Katz, D., "The motivational basis of organizational behavior," Behavioral Sciences. 9:131-146, 1964.

Likert, R., New Patterns of Management. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1961.

Maslow, A., Motivation and Personality. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1954.

Mayo, E., The Human Problems of an Industrial Civilization. New York: Macmillian, 1933.

Roethlisberger, F. J., Management and Morale. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1941.

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