<div>A
comparative study by Whitchurch (2009: 408) on non-academic professionals in
higher education institutions in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United
States of America found that blended professionals are characterised by “a
sense of ‘belonging’ and ‘not belonging’ entirely to either professional or
academic domains, often working in ambiguous conditions”. One of the
non-academic staff in Whitchurch's study mentioned that the blended role
exposed them to political dimensions, when they entered contested space and
played a part in ‘‘the power struggles and battles that go on’’. <br></div>