This article concerns how spaces of professional autonomy are defined and formed in Swedish higher education institutions (HEIs). Swedish HEIs have become increasingly characterised by rivalling principles of management and professional autonomy. The relational aspects of how a professional habitus is formed and negotiated in relation to management ideals and practices are investigated. The research methods used in this study were interviews with HEI management, strategic human resource management (HRM) representatives and research and teaching staff at three HEIs under different conditions of collegial influence and forms of management. The results show that professional negotiations are undergoing conversion pressures under New Public Management (NPM)-implemented governance, but because professional identities are strongly rooted in academic core values, they are relatively resistant to NPM imposition and encroachment. In light of this, the article offers a discussion on the dilemma of conforming to managerial demands and priorities without losing a professional self.