A Selfless Integrator or a Selfish Quasi-Professional? Relational Tactics for Organizational Professionals’ Durable Influence

Abstract

Our study works towards a ‘sociology of organizational professionals’ by elucidating how they navigate domains dominated by occupational professionals. It shows that relational tactics impact whether organizational professionals remain limited to a periphery, become subservient to occupational professionals, or achieve durable roles. Drawing on qualitative data from 12 Italian hospitals, we analyse how quality managers enact relational strategies towards executives and senior clinicians in the context of integrated care. We identify four configura- tions of tactics with distinct role outcomes. Tactics focused only on executives (transparent knowledge sharing, subordinate activation) yield no role enhancement. Tactics directed only at occupational professionals (transparent knowledge sharing, rapid relational engagement) render quality managers subservient to occupational professionals. Tactics simultaneously aimed at executives and occupational professionals enhance the role in a durable way. Such tactics may follow a ‘selfless’ approach (rapid relationality, subordinate activation, transparent knowledge sharing), which enables quality managers to expand their role across domains, becoming itine- ant integrators; or a ‘selfish’ quasi-professional approach (rapid reciprocity, consultant activation, opaque knowledge sharing), which enables quality managers to enrich their role, becoming st- ble niche service providers. We offer new insights into how organizational professionals negotiate authority, influence, and mobility within established professional hierarchies through relational strategies.