Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Understanding the Identity Work of LGB Workers Using the Practice Theory Lens

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Sexual Orientation and Transgender Issues in Organizations

Abstract

Identity management of LGB (lesbian, gay, bisexual) workers is largely portrayed within the decision of (dis)closure in the scholarly literature. Given the multifaceted nature of identity management in everyday organizational life, the overemphasis on the disclosure decision of LGB workers reifies their identity management and cannot highlight how they enact their identity within everyday activities and interactions. Drawing largely on Schatzkian practice theory, this chapter conceptualizes the identity management of LGB individuals as an “identity work”. In this respect, we examine conceptually how they build, maintain and negotiate their identities within everyday work activities. Within this conceptualization, deciding simply whether to disclose or not disclose one’s sexual orientation does not adequately capture the complex, multifaceted and spontaneous nature of the phenomenon since it is rather lived and experienced within situated activities and interactions. The practice theory driven approach proposed in this chapter facilitates addressing the dynamics of everyday organizational life and also gives a detailed account of how situated work activities and interactions within the normative-affective aspects serve to construct LGB work identities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 229.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 299.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 299.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Alvesson, M. (2000). Social identity and the problem of loyalty in knowledge-intensive companies. Journal of Management Studies, 38(8), 1101–1123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alvesson, M., Ashcraft, K. L., & Robyn, T. (2008). Identity matters: Reflections on the construction of identity scholarship in organization studies. Organization, 15(1), 5–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, M. Z., Croteau, J. M., Chung, Y. B., & DiStefano, T. M. (2001). Developing an assessment of sexual identity management for lesbian and gay workers. Journal of Career Assessment, 9(3), 243–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bechky, B. A. (2011). Making organizational theory work: Institutions, occupations, and negotiated orders. Organization Science, 22(5), 1157–1167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beech, N., Gilmore, C., Cochrane, E., & Greig, G. (2012). Identity work as a response to tensions: A re-narration in opera rehearsals. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 28, 39–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowen, F., & Blackmon, K. (2003). Spirals of silence: The dynamic effects of diversity on organizational voice. Journal of Management Studies, 40(6), 1393–1417.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowring, M. A., & Brewis, J. (2009). Truth and consequences: Managing lesbian and gay identity in the Canadian workplace. Equal Opportunities International, 28(5), 361–377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, A. D. (2015). Identities and identity work in organizations. International Journal of Management Reviews, 17(1), 20–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, A. D., & Lewis, M. A. (2011). Identities, discipline and routines. Organization Studies, 32(7), 871–895.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Button, S. B. (2004). Identity management strategies utilized by lesbian and gay employees—A quantitative investigation. Group & Organization Management, 29, 470–494.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clair, J. A., Beatty, J., & MacLean, T. (2005). Out of sight but not out of mind: How people manage invisible social identities in the workplace. Academy of Management Review, 30(1), 78–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coupland, C., & Brown, A. D. (2012). Identities in action: Processes and outcomes. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 28(1), 1–4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Creed, D., & Cooper, E. (2008). Introduction: Offering new insights into GLBT workplace experiences. Group & Organization Management., 33(5), 491–503.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Croteau, J. M., Anderson, M. Z., & VanderWal, B. L. (2008). Models of workplace sexual identity disclosure and management reviewing and extending concepts. Group & Organization Management, 33(5), 532–565.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Down, S., & Reveley, J. (2009). Between narration and interaction: Situating first-line supervisor identity work. Human Relations, 62, 379–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gedro, J. (2007). Conducting research on LGBT issues: Leading the field all over again! Human Resource Development Quarterly, 18(2), 153–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goffman, E. (1963). Stigma. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Griffin, P. (1992). From hiding out to coming out: Empowering lesbian and gay educators. In K. M. Harbeck (Ed.), Coming out of the classroom closet (pp. 167–196). Binghamton, NY: Harrington Park Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Iedema, R., Rhodes, C., & Scheeres, H. (2005). Presencing identity: Organizational change and immaterial labor. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 18(4), 327–337.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iedema, R., Rhodes, C., & Scheeres, H. (2006). Surveillance, resistance, observance: Exploring the teleo-affective volatility of workplace interaction. Organization Studies, 27(8), 1111–1130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, D. M. (2014). Career anchors and paths: The case of Gay, Lesbian, & Bisexual workers. Human Resource Management Review, 24(2), 119–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karreman, D., & Alvesson, M. (2001). Making newsmakers: Conversational identity at work. Organization Studies, 22(1), 59–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman, J. M., & Johnson, C. (2004). Stigmatized individuals and the process of identity. The Sociological Quarterly, 45(4), 807–833.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khanna, N., & Johnson, C. (2010). Passing as black racial: Identity work among biracial Americans. Social Psychology Quarterly, 73(4), 380–397.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King, E. B., Reilly, C., & Hebl, M. (2008). The best of times, the worst of times: Exploring dual perspectives of “coming out” in the workplace. Group & Organization Management, 33(5), 566–601.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LeBaron, C. D., Glenn, P., & Thompson, M. P. (2009). Identity work during boundary moments: Managing positive identities through talk and embodied interaction. In L. M. Roberts & J. E. Dutton (Eds.), Exploring positive identities and organizations (pp. 191–215). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leidner, R. (2006). Identity and work. In M. Korczynski, R. Hodson, & P. Edwards (Eds.), Social theory at work (pp. 424–463). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lidderdale, M. A., Croteau, J. M., Anderson, M. Z., Tovar-Murray, D., & Davis, J. M. (2007). Building LGB vocational psychology: A theoretical model of workplace sexual identity management. In K. Bieschke, R. Perez, & K. DeBord (Eds.), Handbook of counseling and psychotherapy with lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients (2nd ed., pp. 245–270). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • McFadden, C. (2015). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender careers and human resource development: A systematic literature review. Human Resource Development Review, 14(2), 125–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McInnes, P., & Corlett, S. (2012). Conversational identity work in everyday interaction. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 28(1), 27–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nicolini, D. (2012). Practice theory, work, and organization: An introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Öner, A. (2015). Beyaz yakalı eşcinseller: Işyerinde cinsel yönelim ayrımcılığı ve mücadele stratejileri. Istanbul: İletişim.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ozeren, E. (2014). Sexual orientation discrimination in the workplace: A systematic review of literature. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 109, 1203–1215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parnell, M. K., Lease, S. H., & Green, M. L. (2012). Perceived career barriers for gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals. Journal of Career Development, 39(3), 248–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pratt, M. G. (2012). Rethinking identity construction processes in organizations: Three questions to consider. In M. Schultz, S. Maguire, A. Langley, & H. Tsoukas (Eds.), Constructing Identity in and around Organizations (pp. 21–49). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ragins, B. R. (2004). Sexual orientation in the workplace: The unique work and career experiences of gay, lesbian and bisexual workers. Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management, 23, 35–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ragins, B. R. (2008). Disclosure disconnects: Antecedents and consequences of disclosing invisible stigmas across life domains. Academy of Management Review, 33, 194–215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ragins, B. R., Singh, R., & Cornwell, J. M. (2007). Making the invisible visible. Fear and disclosure of sexual orientation at work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 1103–1118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, S. (2011). Exploring how gay men manage their social identities in the workplace: The internal/external dimensions of identity. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 30(8), 668–685.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rumens, N., & Broomfield, J. (2012). Gay men in the police: Identity disclosure and management issues. Human Resource Management Journal, 22(3), 283–298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rumens, N., & Broomfield, J. (2014). Gay men in the performing arts: Performing sexualities within ‘gay-friendly’ work contexts. Organization, 21(3), 365–382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rumens, N., & Kerfoot, D. (2009). Gay men at work: (Re)constructing the self as professional. Human Relations, 62(5), 763–786.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schatzki, T. R. (1996). Social practices: A Wittgensteinian approach to human activity and the social. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Schatzki, T. R. (2002). The site of the social. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State Universit Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schatzki, T. R. (2005). The sites of organizations. Organization Studies, 26(3), 465–484.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schatzki, T. R. (2010). The timespace of human activity. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schope, R. D. (2002). The decision to tell: Factors influencing the disclosure of sexual orientation by gay men. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services, 14(1), 1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shotter, J. (2005). ‘Inside the moment of managing’: Wittgenstein and the everyday dynamics of our expressive-responsive activities. Organization Studies, 26(1), 113–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shotter, J., & Tsoukas, H. (2011). Theory as therapy: Wittgensteinian reminders for reflective theorizing in organization and management theory. Research in the Sociology of Organizations, 32, 311–342.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snow, D. A., & Anderson, L. (1987). Identity work among the homeless: The verbal construction and avowal of personal identities. American Journal of Sociology, 92, 1336–1371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sveningsson, S., & Alvesson, M. (2003). Managing managerial identities: Organizational fragmentation, discourse and identity struggle. Human Relations, 56, 1163–1193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ward, J., & Winstanley, D. (2005). Coming out at work: Performativity and the recognition and renegotiation of identity. The Sociological Review, 53(3), 447–475.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weick, K. E. (1995). Sensemaking in organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wieland, S. M. B. (2010). Ideal selves as resources for the situated practice of identity. Management Communication Quarterly, 24, 503–528.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woods, J. D., & Lucas, J. H. (1993). The corporate closet: The professional lives of gay men in America. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wrzesniewski, A., & Dutton, J. E. (2001). Crafting a job: Revisioning employees as active crafters of their work. Academy of Management Review, 26(2), 179–201.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey

    Emir Ozeren Ph.D.

  2. Mugla Sıtkı Kocman University, Mugla, Turkey

    Alper Aslan Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Emir Ozeren Ph.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alper Aslan Ph.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Emir Ozeren Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Mgmt, Vienna Univ of Economics & Business, Vienna, Austria

    Thomas Köllen

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Ozeren, E., Aslan, A. (2016). Understanding the Identity Work of LGB Workers Using the Practice Theory Lens. In: Köllen, T. (eds) Sexual Orientation and Transgender Issues in Organizations. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29623-4_27

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation