An Organizational Perspective on the Expansion of Professional Certification: Are Associations Aligned with Their Members?

• In Event: 092 - Regular Session. Political, Legal, and Scientific Contexts of Occupations

Abstract

This paper analyzes the emergence of professional certification from the perspective of United States-based organizations offering certifications. The last few decades have been characterized by a boom in new certification programs launched by trade and professional associations. Literature on occupational closure and professional projects suggests that certification should be designed as a hurdle that keeps newcomers out of a profession, enhancing the market position of incumbents. While some certifications, such as the Certified Financial Planner and Realtor programs, have gained national recognition as a signal of quality, it is not at all clear that generating monopoly rents and pursuing a project of professionalization is a goal for the majority of the 5,028 certification programs now recognized by the US Department of Labor. If climbing the ladder of professionalization is not the goal, then, what is motivating so many organizations to enter the credentialing business? I argue that much of the expansion in certification is driven by the professional associations that administer certification programs. As certification has proven to be a reliable nondues revenue source at a time when nearly all nonprofits find themselves under economic stress, certifying organizations find themselves with strong incentives to create and expand certification programs. A divergence between the organizational interests of the associations that represent professionals and the market position of their members in the overall division of labor ensues, which I illustrate by examining the case study of the recent decision of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) to launch a new certification.

Author

• Kyle W. Albert, Cornell University