“Institutional Framework of Professionalism”.

This framework is based from the Two Spheres Theory of Bachman & Leonard R. (2013)

According to them, there are 5 dimensions underlying the institutional Framework of

Professionalism. These are Discipline, Occupation, Education, Organizational membership, and
Virtue.

1. Discipline. Discipline refers to a large, specialized, complex and difficult body of knowledge,
principles and techniques on which a lifetime of learning is spent toward reflection, mastery and
in-service to society.

To put it simply, all professionals are assumed to have chosen a specific discipline to
which he is to spend his entire lifetime to achieve mastery and better serve the society.

Discipline is the “tradition as client” dimension of a profession. All disciplines have

tradition as their core or original point of reference as a study. For example, if you are to study
economics or management, you definitely have to start with looking into the “tradition” of the
people you are about to deal with.

2. Occupation. As defined, it refers to a specialized skills, principles and knowledge employed

with purpose and fitness and also given in turn for profitable returns and meritorious recognition.

To have an occupation, specialized skills are needed and those skills should also fit the
job you are about to perform. But more importantly, all occupations have corresponding
monetary compensation. Salary is needed for us professionals to keep living. It is professionals’
way of making a living.

Occupation is the “owner and user as client” dimension of professionalism. It is our

prime concern to serve and please our employers and clientele the best way possible.

3. Education. It refers to the acquisition and maintenance of the basic knowledge and skills
prerequisite to membership in a profession.

It is expected that professionals had acquired and maintained the basic knowledge and
skills required to their profession.

Question: Can you be a professional lawyer if your only qualification is being a graduate
of an education course?

The point is “Your profession is dependent on your Education”.

Education is the “autopoietic replication as client” dimension of a profession. What does

it mean? Education is personal struggle to replicate a pre-conceived image of a professional.

*provide illustration

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4. Organizational membership. This refers to institutionalized and regulatory standards of
practice, fitness for purpose, the ethical oversight of practitioners, gatekeepers for entry to the
profession, and the agent of collective member interests, as well as organized liaison to
government and the public.

It emphasized that all professionals have organizations to which they belong. These
organizations regulate the standards of the members—ensuring that they are not substandard;
oversees the ethical behavior of the members—safeguarding the high moral standards of the
profession; and serve as filters to guarantee the quality of the professional members that enter the
organization.

Professional organizations serve as an agent of collective member interest and an agent of

good communication with the government and the public.

Question: In our case, to what professional organizations do we belong?

Organizational membership is also called the “trust as client” dimension. It means that as
members of an organization, the organization trusts that we (the members) will conduct our
profession in compliance with the guidelines set by them, and in turn, we (as members) also trust
that the organization will do its best to cater our collective interests.

5. Virtue. It is a collectively shared vision towards the advancement of public good including a
high regard for ethics, mores and tradition and a concern for shared well-being.

Virtue is something that all professionals of a certain organization should uphold no

matter what. Commonly, virtue is plainly reflected on the mission and vision of a professional
organization. These values guide the professionals on the conduct of their respective profession.

Virtue is also labeled as the “society as client” dimension of a profession. Society will
greatly benefit if all professionals will live in compliance with the virtues expected of them.

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