Files and links (1)
PDFOpen Access (License Unspecified), Open Access
Dissertation
Climbing out of the shadows: the contextual reframing of status by professionals in lower status functions
Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.), Drexel University
Feb 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00010871
Abstract
This research delves into the processes by which individuals occupying perceived low-status roles within organizations actively navigate and challenge the essentialized identities ascribed to them. Specifically, the study focuses on the technology industry, a sector often characterized by a hierarchical valuation of functions, with engineering functions occupying a privileged position. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with 30 professionals employed in roles across a range of tech firms, this study examines the complex interplay between individual agency and organizational dynamics in shaping perceptions of status and the construction of professional identity. The findings illuminate the multifaceted ways in which individuals negotiate and contest their prescribed lower status positions within the organizational context. This negotiation occurs at the interactional level, where individuals engage in everyday practices and discursive strategies to resist limiting stereotypes and assert their professional value. We discovered three distinct pathways employees utilize to cope with and transcend essentialization: Feigning Ascendancy, Dissenting Reclamation, and Subversive Submitting. These pathways encompass diverse strategies, from aligning with the perceived higher status of engineers to actively challenging it. The study also examines the impact of exogenous events, such as the pandemic and economic downturns, on status dynamics within organizations. Which can disrupt established hierarchies and create opportunities for individuals to transcend essentialized identities. This research offers valuable insights for leaders to mitigate the negative consequences of essentialization and unlock the full potential of their diverse workforce.
Metrics
14 File views/ downloads
20 Record Views
Details
- Title
- Climbing out of the shadows
- Creators
- Paul Ayodeji Iyanuoluwa Olorunnisola
- Contributors
- Rajiv Nag (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- xi, 135, viii, vii pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Bennett S. LeBow College of Business; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991022033872704721