Multiple identities at work : discursive construction of work identity of young business professionals

Abstract

This research aims at understanding how work identities of young business professionals are discursively constructed in interpersonal interaction. Premised on social constructionism, the current study sees identities and meanings of identities as multiple and dynamic. The research data were collected by observing and interviewing six primary participants in international companies of different sizes. The methodologies of Cultural Discourse Analysis and Positioning Analysis were applied to the qualitative data, which included transcribed video and audio recordings, researcher field notes and some screen captures. The results show that the discursively constructed work identities are indeed multi-faceted and situated. Optimal distinctiveness was created by resisting fixed identity categories that included negative positioning and othering. On the other hand, the discourses constructed a merged ‘international’ identity that was associated with an open mindset, valuable expat experiences and the ease of communication in lingua franca English. In workplace relationships, positioning was often implicit and embedded in humour, left-handed compliments or nonverbal communication. However, explicit third order positioning between gendered occupational groups took place outside the immediate communicative situations. In the workplace, discursive positioning was less common in hierarchical role-relationships than in peer relationships. The discourses of identity and transition jointly created meanings of young professionals who make independent, sometimes non-traditional career choices. On the other hand, the narratives reflected face concerns about how such decisions are perceived by others. In the ‘juggler’ discourse, the work and nonwork boundaries appeared fluid and permeable, while the competing ‘isolated employee’ discourse produced a clearer distinction between private and work domains. The study contributes to the understanding of millennial work identity in the diverse and changing world of work. From the perspective of interpersonal communication, millennials do not form a homogenous group of employees, but their work identity and identity positions are continuously re- and co-constructed in their relationships through communication in and outside workplaces. The results of this study can be used to develop in-company communication and communication studies and curricula in business education.