City Research Online

Abstract

Drawing on an in-depth study of physicians facing the Covid-19 pandemic in Italy in 2020, we advance theory on how professionals in their workplace respond to knowledge disruptions associated with complex societal challenges that undermine the adequacy of their knowledge base to solve professional problems. We show that, in the context of the uncertainty generated by the knowledge disruption and unable to mitigate it through typical knowledge-based strategies, professionals experience a trail of negative epistemic emotions linked to the immitigability of this uncertainty. Despite these negative epistemic emotions and motivated by a heightened sense of moral duty, professionals engage in service-oriented practices of collegial and humanistic work that depart from the knowledge-centric practices of their usual work. We detail how the repeated development of positive moral emotions when performing of such practices leads professionals to ultimately consolidate and embed service-oriented practices in their professional work. Our study contributes to the literature on professions and organizations by theorizing the distinctive category of knowledge disruptions of unmitigable uncertainty and by uncovering the micro-level dynamics and mechanisms that sustain professionals’ responses.

Publication Type:	Article
Publisher Keywords:	Knowledge disruptions, uncertainty, professionals, emotions, societal challenges
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform Q Science > QR Microbiology R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine
Departments:	Bayes Business School > Management
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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