The Organising of Expert Firms

Abstract

A prevalent assumption in discussions on expert labour is that experts organise their work according to an occupational logic. The question, however, how the occupational logic come to dominate the greater part of expert firms is not often considered in the literature. Even if such firms of ‘free experts' are said to be of increasing importance for the economy in businesses such as IT-consulting, finance, computers etc., there is a lack of studies showing what such experts actually do and how such firms are organised. Some especially interesting examples of expert firms are those located in the area of finances. Although finance receives a great deal of attention from researchers, there are few studies of the organisational aspects of financial expertise, and the role the social setting plays in experts' performance. This article addresses both of these issues, describing the organisational setting of the experts in investment banks and how these experts organise their work. The aim of the article is to illustrate how the occupational logic of organising has come to dominate the firm, underlining that the administration in these firms has but a minor supportive role.