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Greetings all,

We invite you all join our exciting Symposium exploring "Positive Work Identities in the 21st Century" on Monday, August 12 from 1:15pm to 2:45pm at the Westin Copley Place Boston in the Essex North-East room. 

Positive Work Identities in the 21st Century

Session #: 1242

Sponsors: MOC, GDO, OB

 

Co-Chair: Jeffrey Bednar, Brigham Young University

Co-Chair: Courtney L. McCluney, University of Virginia 

Discussants: Brianna Barker Caza, University of Manitoba and Heather Vough, George Mason University

Recognizing the "positivity" assumption inherent in nearly all theories of identity work, Dutton, Roberts & Bednar (2010) sought to review the identity literature and illuminate the variety of assumptions inherent in different identity theories about what makes an identity positive. Their review of the literature uncovered four "pathways" to positive identity through the perceived presence of virtuous qualities or character strengths; progress towards higher levels of development; compatibility and complementarity between different facets of the self-concept; and the esteem granted through self and other appraisals. This framework, now known as the G.I.V.E. model, provided a lens for understanding how employees in work organizations could construction and maintain identities that were positive in some way. Interestingly, while our understanding of positive identity constructions continues to grow, the teams, organizations, occupations and professions in which work-related identities are established and maintained continue to evolve and change. This symposium brings together a set of papers at the nexus of evolving workplace relationships and organizational inclusion to propose interesting ideas and answer important questions related to how individuals in contemporary teams, organizations, and occupations are able to create and maintain positive work related identities. For example, our collection of works address the following: (1) How has research and theory on positive work identities developed and expanded in the past decade? (2) What role do identity partners play in positive work identity construction? And, (3) How do underrepresented persons' (e.g., women, ethnic minorities) devalued social identities contribute to their positive work identity construction?

Presenters and their titles are included below. 

What's more to G.I.V.E.? A Systematic Review of Positive Work Identities
Presenter: Courtney L. McCluney, University of Virginia
Coauthors: Jeffrey Bednar, Brigham Young University; Brianna Barker Caza, University of Manitoba; Brittany Mallory, University of Michigan; Laura Morgan Roberts, University of Virginia; Jane Dutton, University of Michigan

Identity Partners: Facilitating the Construction of a Counternormative Work Identity
Presenter: Elise Jones, Boston College

Embodying the Female Form in Men's Work: An Exploration of Positive Work Identity Construction among Female Police Officers
Presenter: Kim Ramsdell, Boston College

Dilemmas Around Embracing the Cultural Expert Identity
Presenter: Sandra E. Cha, Brandeis University
Coauthors: Laura Morgan Roberts, University of Virginia; Stephanie J. Creary, University of Pennsylvania; Andy Molinsky, Brandeis University

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Courtney McCluney
University of Virginia
Charlottesville VA
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