When wrapping up this book project, I started asking myself: Why did I develop an interest in professional service work and professional service organizations? Of course, it has to do with trying to understand working conditions in today's world of organizations, and the role of professionalism in society – much of what this book is about. But on a personal level there's also another reason: I am basically curious. I have spent my working years at university (an immensely complex professional organization), in academic publishing, and as a consultant, and I have therefore encountered many of the issues covered in this book, skin deep. And, I believe that there exists a professional ethos that should be safeguarded. This does not mean that we should not problematize and question professionalism – quite the contrary. And that is what I do in this book.

Parts of this book are based on my 2012 Swedish book 4 myter om professionella organisationer (4 Myths about Professional Organizations) but the changes in terms of both theoretical angle, and in terms of the literature covered, is different to the extent that this is a completely different work. In other words, the way I now understand these topics has changed quite a bit over the last ten or so years. And so it should.

In working on this book, I have had great help from my academic colleagues. A very warm thank you to Susanna Alexius, Mats Alvesson, Thomas Andersson, Olof Hallonsten, Gustaf Kastberg, and the anonymous reviewer for reading and commenting on this manuscript. Without you, many flaws would still be there. Thank you, Mehdi Boussebaa and Justin Waring, for engaging discussions on parts of the book. Thank you, Laura Empson, for constant dialogue.

Another very warm thank you goes to Paul Stevens at Bristol University Press, for believing in this project from the beginning, and for helping me push myself through it.