Abstract
Dirty work refers to occupations that are viewed by society as physically, socially, or morally tainted. Using exploratory, semistructured interviews with managers from 18 dirty work occupations, we investigated the challenges of being a manager in tainted work and how managers normalize taint - that is, actively counter it or render it less salient. Managers reported experiencing role complexity and stigma awareness. Four types of practices for countering taint were revealed: occupational ideologies, social buffers, confronting clients and the public, and defensive tactics. We discuss links between these practices.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 149-174 |
| Number of pages | 26 |
| Journal | Academy of Management Journal |
| Volume | 50 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - Feb 2007 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Business and International Management
- Management of Technology and Innovation
- Strategy and Management
- Business, Management and Accounting(all)
Cite this
Normalizing dirty work : Managerial tactics for countering occupational taint. / Ashforth, Blake; Kreiner, Glen E.; Clark, Mark A.; Fugate, Mel.
In: Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 50, No. 1, 02.2007, p. 149-174.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Normalizing dirty work
T2 - Managerial tactics for countering occupational taint
AU - Ashforth, Blake
AU - Kreiner, Glen E.
AU - Clark, Mark A.
AU - Fugate, Mel
PY - 2007/2
Y1 - 2007/2
N2 - Dirty work refers to occupations that are viewed by society as physically, socially, or morally tainted. Using exploratory, semistructured interviews with managers from 18 dirty work occupations, we investigated the challenges of being a manager in tainted work and how managers normalize taint - that is, actively counter it or render it less salient. Managers reported experiencing role complexity and stigma awareness. Four types of practices for countering taint were revealed: occupational ideologies, social buffers, confronting clients and the public, and defensive tactics. We discuss links between these practices.
AB - Dirty work refers to occupations that are viewed by society as physically, socially, or morally tainted. Using exploratory, semistructured interviews with managers from 18 dirty work occupations, we investigated the challenges of being a manager in tainted work and how managers normalize taint - that is, actively counter it or render it less salient. Managers reported experiencing role complexity and stigma awareness. Four types of practices for countering taint were revealed: occupational ideologies, social buffers, confronting clients and the public, and defensive tactics. We discuss links between these practices.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34047225297&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=34047225297&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:34047225297
VL - 50
SP - 149
EP - 174
JO - Academy of Management Journal
JF - Academy of Management Journal
SN - 0001-4273
IS - 1
ER -