Suchergebnisse

An attempt to construct a measure of differences among occupations in degrees of professionalization was prompted by the literature on the process of professionalization. Data were obtained on a sample of 43 `qualifying associations'; so that, in effect, the study is limited to those occupations sufficiently professionalized to have an association which aims to examine individuals wishing to practise. The data were subjected to a cumulative scaling procedure which gave a mean scale value of 0.73. This suggests that there is a substantial unitary variable within the concept of professionalization as it is usually defined. Within the limits of the data and sample, the items linked by the scale may be held to denote the characteristics of a profession. The professionalization scores of qualifying associations in various fields of work are examined. A positive correlation with the age of the association is found.

Sociology needs precise, comparative, reliable data. This requires the splitting down of unitary `grand' concepts into operationally defined variables, fashioned to attack particular problems, and amenable to multivariate statistical analysis. This approach can be exemplified in the study of bureaucracy by the development of scaleable dimensions of organization structure such as specialization. This concept has been operationally defined, and a comparative analysis across 52 work organizations of the degree of `functional specialization' and of `role specialization' within each function, has yielded 17 scales on which to base a profile, characteristic of each organization. An `overall specialization scale', obtained by factor analysis, gives a range of scores in the sample from 0 (no specialists) to 87 (an extremely high degree of role specialization within the organization). Using size and technology as independent variables, a prediction analysis gives a multiple correlation with overall role specialization of 0-81.