TY - JOUR
T1 - My network, my self
T2 - A social network approach to work-based identity
AU - Moser, Jordana R.
AU - Ashforth, Blake E.
N1 - Funding Information:
We greatly appreciate the very constructive feedback provided by Jenny Chatman, Herminia Ibarra, and Laura Kray. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2020 meeting of the Academy of Management (on Zoom).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Author(s)
PY - 2021/1
Y1 - 2021/1
N2 - As the organizational landscape becomes increasingly turbulent and the gig economy grows, the conventional anchors for a work-based sense of identity – a relatively stable organization, workgroup, and occupation – are losing relevance. We argue that a “network identity,” defined as the core, distinctive, and more or less enduring character of a set of social ties (e.g., “we are high-achievers”), helps fill this growing void because individuals’ networks often reflect agency and have more or less fluid boundaries and portability. These attributes enable individuals to develop or join networks that may transcend specific contexts and adapt to change. An individual's network identity simultaneously implicates all three levels of self – individual, relational, and collective – such that it is a potentially very powerful means for realizing his or her identity motives. Crossing the dimensions of network boundary strength and network density, we offer a 2 × 2 typology of networks and discuss their implications for members’ network identities and what kinds of individuals might prefer each network.
AB - As the organizational landscape becomes increasingly turbulent and the gig economy grows, the conventional anchors for a work-based sense of identity – a relatively stable organization, workgroup, and occupation – are losing relevance. We argue that a “network identity,” defined as the core, distinctive, and more or less enduring character of a set of social ties (e.g., “we are high-achievers”), helps fill this growing void because individuals’ networks often reflect agency and have more or less fluid boundaries and portability. These attributes enable individuals to develop or join networks that may transcend specific contexts and adapt to change. An individual's network identity simultaneously implicates all three levels of self – individual, relational, and collective – such that it is a potentially very powerful means for realizing his or her identity motives. Crossing the dimensions of network boundary strength and network density, we offer a 2 × 2 typology of networks and discuss their implications for members’ network identities and what kinds of individuals might prefer each network.
KW - Collectivism
KW - Identity motives
KW - Network identity
KW - Networks
KW - Uncertainty avoidance
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U2 - 10.1016/j.riob.2022.100155
DO - 10.1016/j.riob.2022.100155
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85123196813
SN - 0191-3085
VL - 41
JO - Research in Organizational Behavior
JF - Research in Organizational Behavior
M1 - 100155
ER -