The professional without a profession: An entrepreneurial response to supercomplexity in research environments?

The author analyzes her role as a special advisor at an applied research institute in Norway to explore the tension between traditional and modern definitions of professionalism. While her position lacks the specialized formal training and self-policing community required by traditional standards, she argues it embodies 'blended' and 'unbounded' professionalism. This 'professional non-profession' is presented as an entrepreneurial response to 'supercomplexity'—the conflicting pressures of maintaining academic quality (Mode 1) while producing socially relevant, applied research (Mode 2).

• Traditional notions of professionalism rely on three main pillars: specialized formal knowledge that is inaccessible to the laity, specific attitudes and behaviors (such as autonomy and commitment to service), and membership in a self-policing community with a professional code of conduct.
• The role of a special advisor in a research environment often fails traditional professionalism criteria because it relies on broad, non-specialized formal knowledge and high levels of tacit knowledge rather than a specific, formalized degree or certification.
• The author identifies her role as a 'blended professional' because she capitalizes on the ambiguity of belonging and not belonging to both academic and professional domains to establish credibility with researchers.
• The role also aligns with the 'unbounded professional' model, characterized by a flexible approach to activity, the active construction of one's own job description, and a willingness to operate in ambiguous or 'messy' spaces.
• Research environments face 'supercomplexity,' where institutions are pressured to produce applied, socially relevant 'Mode 2' knowledge while still being measured by 'Mode 1' academic metrics, such as international peer-reviewed journals.
• The 'professional non-profession' of a special advisor serves as an entrepreneurial response to this supercomplexity by exploiting a market niche—such as academic writing workshops—that generates revenue and provides necessary navigation for researchers.

APA

Nygaard, L. P. (2014). The professional without a profession: An entrepreneurial response to supercomplexity in research environments? Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/0f664d6f-9677-4f7c-9058-10b32385f0e6/The professional without a profession An entrepreneurial response to supercomplexity in research environments.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Nygaard, Lynn P. The professional without a profession: An entrepreneurial response to supercomplexity in research environments? Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2014. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/0f664d6f-9677-4f7c-9058-10b32385f0e6/The professional without a profession An entrepreneurial response to supercomplexity in research environments.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Nygaard |first1=Lynn P. |title=The professional without a profession: An entrepreneurial response to supercomplexity in research environments? |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2014 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/0f664d6f-9677-4f7c-9058-10b32385f0e6/The professional without a profession An entrepreneurial response to supercomplexity in research environments.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{nygaard2014professional, author = {Nygaard, Lynn P.}, title = {{The professional without a profession: An entrepreneurial response to supercomplexity in research environments?}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2014}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/0f664d6f-9677-4f7c-9058-10b32385f0e6/The professional without a profession An entrepreneurial response to supercomplexity in research environments.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }