Bureaucracy and Professionalism in the Social Services

A multidimensional approach to the study of bureaucracy and professionalism among 200 social service workers provides general support for two hypotheses. The conflict hypothesis is that, as perceived by the workers, the bureaucratic dimensions of hierarchy of authority, formalized rules, procedural specificity, and impersonality are inversely associated with workers' professionalism. The congruence hypothesis is that an extensive division of labor and a high degree of technical competence are positively associated with workers' professionalism. Results underscore the complexity of the relationship between bureaucracy and professionalism and suggests that only particular dimensions of bureaucracv are inhibitive of effective job performance by social work professionals. Conclusions point to directions for future research.