Finding the “I” in “Team”: The Role of Teams in Clarifying and Optimizing Calling

Abstract

Extant literature on the phenomenon of calling is primarily focused on individual factors. The role of others, particularly those within work teams, is largely unexplored despite the likelihood that individuals will perform their work in several teams throughout their careers. Since these experiences provide a context in which individuals make sense of their work and their identities, we highlight the important role teams have in providing clarification of an individual’s calling at various stages of the calling process. Our theoretical model draws on optimal distinctiveness theory to explore how and when the identity motives of distinctiveness and belonging within teams influences ‘calling clarification’, or heightened cognitive understanding of calling. We also explore the resultant behavioral manifestations of calling clarification, suggesting that individuals will seek to align themselves with teams that allow them to fulfill their callings through a process of ‘calling optimization’. We offer testable propositions and provide suggestions for future theory and research integrating teams with calling.