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constructing new forms of authority via the institutional knowledges and relationships
that they create on a personal, day-to-day basis.
Credibility within an institution, therefore, would appear to depend increasingly on
building a profile in the local situation. In turn, this is likely to be facilitated by, for
instance:
• gaining the support of a key individual such as a pro-vice-chancellor;
• obtaining academic credentials such as a master’s or doctoral degree;
• finding ‘safe space’ in which to experiment with new forms of activity and
relationships;
• being comfortable with organisational “messiness” (de Rond, 2003) and
projects that may be unfinished and unfinishable;
• being able to use ambiguity to advantage; for instance, an individual might
use the fact that they do not have a clear association with a specific
organisational or professional location to build common ground with different
constituencies.
It may be, therefore, that not only will third space experience be increasingly
attractive to staff, but also that it may become a pre-requisite for career development.
It may also be that the concept of the generalist professional manager is being
superseded by the idea of the project manager, who carries generic experience from
project to project. Individuals may increasingly see themselves as building such
identities, rather than as being associated with a particular function or institution.
Other respondents spoke of marketing themselves, for instance to headhunters, as a
‘higher education manager’, suggesting that the contemporary professional is less
concerned with a fixed body of knowledge than on maintaining an up-to-the-minute
portfolio of experience, reflecting Bauman’s contention that “You are only as good as
your last successful project” (Bauman, 2005, p. 44). Thus, one respondent saw
moving laterally as being as important for career progression as moving up a
hierarchical career ladder:
I’ve always tried to take the next step in another area, so that it moves you
forward.
In this scenario, professional credibility is likely to depend increasingly, to quote
another respondent, on “What you are and not what you represent”.
A number of respondents, therefore, had a sense of constructing a unique professional
profile at the same time as making an innovative contribution to the development of
their institution. As one of them remarked: “I really get off on creativity”.
Unbounded and blended professionals, in particular, resemble the “creative
professionals” described by Florida (2002), who wish to work in “stimulating,
creative environments - [in] places that not only offer opportunities ... but openness
to diversity, where they feel they can express themselves and validate their identities”
(Florida, 2002, p. 11). Although Florida’s study refers to geographical locations, the
same is likely to be true of institutional settings.
Such developments also raise issues about the balance and type of experience that
individuals might wish to obtain when planning their careers and career moves, and