The role of line managers in employee career management:an attachment theory perspective

Line managers increasingly play a key role in organizational career development systems, yet few studies have examined the nature of this role or its implications for employee career attitudes and behaviors. In two studies, we used attachment theory to explore this issue. In Study 1, in-depth interviews (N = 20) showed that employees viewed career management as a relational process in which line managers are expected to act as ‘caregiver’ to support individualized career development. Study 2 was a large-scale international survey (N = 891). Participants scoring higher on attachment avoidance in their line manager relationships reported more negative perceptions of career growth opportunities, lower participation in organizational career development activities and higher turnover intentions. Trust in the organization partially mediated the relationship. Theoretical and practical implications for HRM are discussed

Applying Bourdieu’s capital-field-habitus framework to migrant careers: Taking stock and adding a transnational perspective

HRM and Migration scholars increasingly employ Bourdieu’s concepts of capitals, fields and habitus to explain the interrelationships between migrant careers and context. Both literatures employ a Bourdieusean framework to examine devaluation of migrant capitals in host nations and migrant responses to such devaluation. However, their explanations are based on different assumptions of context. HRM literature regards migrants as confined to the host nation context, whereas Migration literature places them in a transnational context, spanning both originating and host nations. In this conceptual paper, we argue for integrating transnational perspectives into HRM literature to offer a more accurate portrayal of contemporary migrant lives, and to capture greater nuance in migrant career experiences. We seek to expand the conceptual lexicon to support new conceptualisations of transnational context, and to explore how locating a Bourdieusean framework in transnational contexts enhances its ability to explain migrant career experiences

When two worlds collide: The role of affect in ‘essential’ worker responses to shifting evaluative norms

Concerns about devaluation and misrecognition are central for understanding the experiences of workers in stigmatised occupations. Yet contemporary approaches have been criticised for over-simplifying workers’ responses to mis/recognition. Povinelli’s concepts of ‘trembling of recognition’ and ‘social tense’ offer a useful starting point for extending existing understandings of mis/recognition by highlighting the contextual importance of temporality. To explore these ideas, we report on an ethnographic study of waste management workers in London, UK. The findings suggest that dirty workers’ responses to mis/recognition are a complex mix of discordant cognitive and affective reactions and narrative strategies, shaped by changing normative ideals. The findings suggest that recognition derives not only from workers’ encounters, meanings and feelings attached to the past and present but also from the sense that they have a valued part to play in the future

Attachment and work engagement in virtual teams: Promoting collaborative job crafting

Researchers are increasingly interested in how employee relational processes affect virtual team outcomes. Applying attachment theory and the Job Demands–Resources model, we examined the relationship between employee attachment orientations and work engagement, and the mediating role of collaborative job crafting. In a three-wave longitudinal panel study of 1178 employees in 225 virtual teams, autoregressive and multilevel structural equation modelling showed direct negative effects of (anxious and avoidant) attachment on work engagement. Indirectly, however, attachment positively influenced engagement, partially mediated by collaborative job crafting. Implications for attachment inclusive practices that support collaborative job crafting and work engagement are discussed

Better Together: Examining the Role of Collaborative Ethnographic Documentary in Organizational Research

Despite growing interest in video-based methods in organizational research, the use of collaborative ethnographic documentaries is rare. Organizational research could benefit from the inclusion of collaborative ethnographic documentaries a) to enable the participation of ‘difficult to research’ groups and better access the material, embodied or sensitive dimensions of work and organizing, and b) to assist in dissemination of findings to wider audiences. To increase understanding of this under explored method, the authors first review the available literature and consider strengths, limitations and ethical concerns in comparison with traditional ethnography and other video-based methods. Using recent data collected on working class men doing ‘dirty work’, the authors then illustrate the use of collaborative ethnographic documentary as an investigative tool - capturing often concealed, embodied and material dimensions of work; and a reflective tool - elaborating and particularizing participants’ narrative accounts. It is concluded that collaborative ethnographic documentary facilitates greater trust and communication between researchers and participants, triggering richer exploration of participants’ experiences, in turn strengthening theoretical insights and practical impact of the research

A question of fit:cultural and individual differences in interpersonal justice perceptions

This study examined the link between employees’ adult attachment orientations and perceptions of line managers’ interpersonal justice behaviors, and the moderating effect of national culture (collectivism). Participants from countries categorized as low collectivistic (N = 205) and high collectivistic (N = 136) completed an online survey. Attachment anxiety and avoidance were negatively related to interpersonal justice perceptions. Cultural differences did not moderate the effects of avoidance. However, the relationship between attachment anxiety and interpersonal justice was non-significant in the Southern Asia (more collectivistic) cultural cluster. Our findings indicate the importance of ‘fit’ between cultural relational values and individual attachment orientations in shaping interpersonal justice perceptions, and highlight the need for more non-western organizational justice research

Perceiving is believing: Negative affective events and relational models in supervisory relationships

The article discusses affective aspects of professional relationships involving management or supervision, focusing on negative emotions in the context of attachment theory. A survey study involving two dozen British nurses is described. The nurses' reactions to their supervisors are characterized as stable, anxious or avoidant. A discussion of event interpretation, accountability and relational outcomes of conflicts is presented. It is noted that the study sample is small, professionally homogeneous and over eighty percent female