How Professionals Can Add Value to Their Communities and Organizations

Abstract

Every so often, members of a profession look inward, asking themselves such questions as these: • What are the enduring qualities that anchor our profession? • How are we changing and what is driving the change? • How do the enduring elements and contemporary changes affect our understanding,first, of who we are as professionals and, second, of what value we add to society? The fact that professionals engage with these questions helps their professions to assert their sense of worth, to foster their members’ continuing commitment, and to convey to others the value of their work. This last point—conveying to others the value of a profession—is crucial to that profession’s legitimacy, which is rooted in external judgments. Legitimacy itself leads to the respect, trust, and discretion needed to do good work without inordinate supervision.