Reconstructing the Meaning of Professionalism Through Work Culture: an Autoethnographic Study

Abstract

Professionalism has traditionally been studied as a fixed set of normative traits such as discipline, com-petence, and rule compliance, an approach that fails to capture how individuals construct and reinterpret professionalism through everyday work experience. This study aims to analyze how the meaning of pro-fessionalism is constructed and reconstructed through individual experience within a work culture, par-ticularly in the Food and Beverage (F&B) service industry. Using a qualitative autoethnographic approach, the researcher, who worked for approximately six months in a disguised coffee shop performing multiple roles (cashier, barista, and kitchen staff), collected data through memory work, reflexive journaling, and in-depth interviews with three informants, supported by field documentation. Thematic analysis revealed that the meaning of professionalism evolved through three stages: personal responsibility, marked by discipline and rule compliance; adaptation, shaped by role flexibility, service standards, and teamwork; and fulfillment of organizational expectations, where professional behavior is measured by contribution to operational effectiveness and customer satisfaction. The findings show that professionalism is not a static individual trait but a dynamic social construction shaped by ongoing interaction between individuals and organizational work culture, with implications for balancing professional performance and employee wellbeing.