%0 Journal Article
%T Measurement of Organisation-Professional Conflict in the industrial psychology profession
%A Colette Lourens
%A Leon J. van Vuuren
%A Ri£¿tte Eiselen
%J South African Journal of Industrial Psychology
%D 2012
%I AOSIS OpenJournals
%X Orientation: Professionals, employed in organisations, operate within professional andorganisational contexts serving different stakeholders. Subsequently, professionals mayexperience tension or conflict between their role as professional and employee.Research purpose: To establish the measurement of the perceptions and experiences ofindustrial psychology (IP) professionals, employed in South African organisations, withregard to Organisation-Professional Conflict (OPC) as well as the antecedents associated withthis phenomenon.Motivation for the study: Although the extent to which professionals experience OPC is welldocumentedfor medical and accountancy professionals, the extent to which IP professionalsexperience this phenomenon remains unclear.Research design, approach and method: A structured questionnaire was developed andapplied as a cross-sectional survey to all registered South African IP professionals employedin organisations. Responses based on the N = 143 self-selecting respondents were captured andutilised for statistical analysis.Main findings: OPC in the IP profession can be considered as the incongruence betweenprofessional organisational roles and duties, and their responsibility to adhere to professionalobligations. Professional autonomy and strategic alignment were found to mitigate theoccurrence of OPC, whereas power tension and compromise of professionalism seem toexacerbate the occurrence thereof.Practical/managerial implications: The research might create an awareness of the existenceof OPC amongst the respective stakeholders. Knowledge of OPC may have implications forprofessionals who render their professional services to organisations.Contribution/value-add: The findings may inform formal professional associations, industrialpsychologists employed by organisations, their employing organisations, and the governingboard, about the nature and extent of OPC.
%K measurement
%K organisational psychology
%K conflict
%U http://www.sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/view/1035