Roles in Networked Organizations
Lectures, seminars and articles
1
,Week 1 – Introduction and Gender Roles
Organization = a group of people working together to reach a common goal.
Role = a set of behavioral expectations attached to a position in an organized set of social
relationships. Roles predict behavior and success of behavior. According to the social role
theory (Eagly, 1987), social roles include ‘appropriate’ and ‘permitted’ behaviors, guided by
social norms. Roles are often embedded in ‘role sets’. There are 2 perspectives towards roles
(Van Vuuren):
• Structural-functionalist approach: roles provide stability and predictability. The roles
are rather static, role expectations are part of the organizations ‘collective memory’,
roles facilitate collaboration because they make actions predictable.
• Interactional approach/symbolic interactionism: roles may be dynamic, and people
may have very different understandings of the same occupational role. Scripts are not
given and stored in the collective memory, but emerge from interactions, employees
improvise and adapt role expectations, ‘role making’ is an ongoing process, a
negotiation.
Role identity = how the individual interprets and makes sense of the role.
Role identity salience = roles are ‘ranked’ in a hierarchy. Salience is determined by the
number of role-relationships tied to the role and the strength and intensity of the relational
ties within these role-relationships.
Guadagno & Cialdini (2007) reviewed literature to figure out the impression management
goals and tactics that men and women employ, in order to understand gender differences in
career progression. They found that men and women would generally report using impression
management tactics consistent with gender role expectations and that this might not be
advantageous to women in the corporate world. Gender roles within impression management
tactics:
2
, Backlash effect = even when women employ the masculine tactics, they are less successful,
because they behave non-normative.
In summary:
• Roles predict behavior and success of behavior
• Role expectations are largely beyond the direct control of management
o More ‘fluid’, decentralized organizations
o Employees value autonomy
• Role enactment is more challenging than ever, because of
o Nature of work: flex work/gig work, work for multiple employers in multiple
roles
o Technology use has faded boundaries between roles (e.g., work/home)
Week 2 – Organizational Socialization & Role shifts
Role transition
‘Old’ Role ‘New’ Role
Established Redefine
Workplace Identity Workplace Identity
Work Meaning Work Meaning
Control Control
Sense of Belonging Sense of Belonging
Change process according to Kurt Lewin: Unfreeze – Change – Refreeze. Meaning you first
have to unfreeze the role, break it down and let go of your role (examples of rites of separation:
removing your name tag, putting your office stuff in a box). Then, you change the role while
it’s ‘liquid’ (examples of rites of transition: measuring the uniform, doing a tour around the
office, chatting with superiors). That change becomes more stable by time, that is when it gets
refreezed (examples of rites of incorporation: being sworn in, being added to a group app, being
welcomed through e-mail).
3
Lectures, seminars and articles
1
,Week 1 – Introduction and Gender Roles
Organization = a group of people working together to reach a common goal.
Role = a set of behavioral expectations attached to a position in an organized set of social
relationships. Roles predict behavior and success of behavior. According to the social role
theory (Eagly, 1987), social roles include ‘appropriate’ and ‘permitted’ behaviors, guided by
social norms. Roles are often embedded in ‘role sets’. There are 2 perspectives towards roles
(Van Vuuren):
• Structural-functionalist approach: roles provide stability and predictability. The roles
are rather static, role expectations are part of the organizations ‘collective memory’,
roles facilitate collaboration because they make actions predictable.
• Interactional approach/symbolic interactionism: roles may be dynamic, and people
may have very different understandings of the same occupational role. Scripts are not
given and stored in the collective memory, but emerge from interactions, employees
improvise and adapt role expectations, ‘role making’ is an ongoing process, a
negotiation.
Role identity = how the individual interprets and makes sense of the role.
Role identity salience = roles are ‘ranked’ in a hierarchy. Salience is determined by the
number of role-relationships tied to the role and the strength and intensity of the relational
ties within these role-relationships.
Guadagno & Cialdini (2007) reviewed literature to figure out the impression management
goals and tactics that men and women employ, in order to understand gender differences in
career progression. They found that men and women would generally report using impression
management tactics consistent with gender role expectations and that this might not be
advantageous to women in the corporate world. Gender roles within impression management
tactics:
2
, Backlash effect = even when women employ the masculine tactics, they are less successful,
because they behave non-normative.
In summary:
• Roles predict behavior and success of behavior
• Role expectations are largely beyond the direct control of management
o More ‘fluid’, decentralized organizations
o Employees value autonomy
• Role enactment is more challenging than ever, because of
o Nature of work: flex work/gig work, work for multiple employers in multiple
roles
o Technology use has faded boundaries between roles (e.g., work/home)
Week 2 – Organizational Socialization & Role shifts
Role transition
‘Old’ Role ‘New’ Role
Established Redefine
Workplace Identity Workplace Identity
Work Meaning Work Meaning
Control Control
Sense of Belonging Sense of Belonging
Change process according to Kurt Lewin: Unfreeze – Change – Refreeze. Meaning you first
have to unfreeze the role, break it down and let go of your role (examples of rites of separation:
removing your name tag, putting your office stuff in a box). Then, you change the role while
it’s ‘liquid’ (examples of rites of transition: measuring the uniform, doing a tour around the
office, chatting with superiors). That change becomes more stable by time, that is when it gets
refreezed (examples of rites of incorporation: being sworn in, being added to a group app, being
welcomed through e-mail).
3
