Profession

The chapter explores how a profession is different from an occupation and how an area of human endeavor evolves from an occupation to a profession. More particularly, it asks why the effort to make management a profession was unsuccessful and how medicine and law made the successful transition from simple practices to complex professions. The professionalization of medicine and law is tracked in some detail, generating conclusions about how professional status is achieved. These include generally accepted body of knowledge; extended education; extended training; clear criteria for evaluation; clear criteria for certification; clear demarcation between those within the profession and those without; explicit commitment to the public interest; explicit commitment to a code of ethics; and a professional association with the power and authority to monitor the status of the profession and the conduct of its members. Leadership, it is noted, fails to meet every one of these criteria.