Shaping Professional Identity and Practice: The Role of Personal and Contextual Factors

Abstract

This symposium assembles new scholarship on professional identity and practice in order to deepen our understanding of the interplay between professional work and non-work factors across a variety of contexts. Four presentations will examine how professionals work and form identities in a range of professional settings, including technology, journalism, architecture, and social work. The presentations will consider professional identity and practice in both non-traditional and traditional work environments, ranging from freelance gig work to traditional corporate employment, thereby enabling comparisons of new and old ways of working. Presenters will also explore a variety of non-work contexts, exploring how family life, societal contexts, and other social institutions intersect with professional identities and work practices. The symposium will contribute to the scholarly community’s understanding of work and work identity in the current climate of changing work and work boundaries, helping to expand our understanding of identity and professional work to reflect the growing diversity of work contexts and personal considerations at play in today’s society. Reconciling Temporal Autonomy and Client Satisfaction in Professional Work Presenter: Vanessa Conzon; Massachusetts Institute of Technology Presenter: James Mellody; MIT Sloan School of Management The Expansion of Family Supports for Ideal Workers in Precarious Occupations Presenter: Erin Marie Reid; McMaster U. Presenter: Farnaz Ghaedipour; McMaster U. Recoupling Professional Expertise and Social Good Presenter: Lakshmi Ramarajan; Harvard U. Presenter: Julie Yen; Harvard Business School Reentry Workers’ Role in Returning Citizens’ Transition from Prison to Employment Presenter: Audrey Holm; Boston U.