T8

Question 1

Professional Identity

Answer 1

The set of goals, values, beliefs, and behaviors that are associated with a specific role, influenced by external expectations and personal preferences.

Question 2

Ideal Worker Image

Answer 2

The expectation that professionals are fully committed, available, and devoted to their work, often at the expense of personal life.

Question 3

Expected Professional Identity

Answer 3

The identity that organizations expect professionals to embody, typically reflecting the ideal worker image.

Question 4

Experienced Professional Identity

Answer 4

The personal preferences, values, and beliefs individuals hold about their professional roles, which may conflict with the expected professional identity.

Question 5

Passing

Answer 5

A strategy where individuals hide aspects of their personal identity to conform to expected professional norms, maintaining an outward appearance that aligns with the ideal worker image.

Question 6

Revealing

Answer 6

A strategy where individuals disclose aspects of their personal identity or their deviations from professional norms, which may result in penalties or stigmatization.

Question 7

How does work-life conflict manifest in professional settings?

Answer 7

Work-life conflict arises when the ideal worker image conflicts with personal commitments, causing tension between professional expectations and personal life.

Question 8

What are the two main identity management strategies discussed in Reid’s article?

Answer 8

The two main strategies are passing (hiding deviations) and revealing (disclosing deviations) from the expected professional identity.

Question 9

How does the structure of work reinforce the ideal worker image?

Answer 9

Organizations create work demands and performance evaluations that reward individuals who conform to the ideal worker image, encouraging professionals to adopt this identity.

Question 10

How does congruence between expected and experienced professional identities affect professionals?

Answer 10

When there is congruence, professionals embrace the ideal worker image easily. When there is conflict, they struggle with how to manage their identities.

Question 11

What does it mean to “stray” from the expected professional identity?

Answer 11

Straying refers to professionals intentionally deviating from the ideal worker image, often by altering aspects of their work to align with their personal preferences.

Question 12

How do professionals cultivate work conditions to maintain their personal identity?

Answer 12

Professionals may adjust their work environment (e.g., by telecommuting or choosing local clients) to pass as ideal workers while remaining true to their experienced identities.

Question 13

What are formal and informal accommodations in identity management?

Answer 13

Formal accommodations include company-sanctioned policies (e.g., parental leave), while informal accommodations involve personal strategies to adjust work conditions without official recognition.

Question 14

How does audience status affect passing and revealing strategies?

Answer 14

Professionals tend to pass with high-status audiences (e.g., senior leaders) to protect their reputation and reveal with close colleagues who they trust.

Question 15

What are the potential consequences of revealing deviations from the ideal worker image?

Answer 15

Revealing deviations often leads to penalties, such as being labeled as “deviant” or facing negative consequences in performance evaluations.

Question 16

How do men and women differ in their use of passing and revealing strategies?

Answer 16

Men are more likely to use passing strategies, while women tend to reveal their need for accommodations, often facing different consequences as a result.

Question 17

Flexibility Stigma

Answer 17

The negative judgment or penalties that professionals face when using flexible work policies, such as being perceived as less committed to work.

Question 18

Boundary Work

Answer 18

The informal practice of managing and negotiating the boundaries between work and personal life, often done to maintain balance without using formal flexibility policies.

Question 19

What is the significance of setting work-life boundaries in professional environments?

Answer 19

Setting work-life boundaries helps professionals balance their personal and professional lives, but can be challenging due to the ideal worker norm.

Question 20

How do close workplace relationships help professionals set work-life boundaries?

Answer 20

Close relationships provide support and protection from stigma, allowing professionals to set boundaries more freely without fear of penalties.

Question 21

Boundary Permeability

Answer 21

The degree to which work and personal life overlap, with high permeability indicating more integration and low permeability indicating clear separation.

Question 22

Sustainable Worker Schema

Answer 22

A set of beliefs that prioritizes work-life balance while maintaining high performance, allowing professionals to work fewer hours while still meeting expectations.

Question 23

Ideal Worker Schema

Answer 23

A set of beliefs that emphasizes constant availability and long work hours, expecting professionals to prioritize work over personal life.

Question 24

Managing Up

Answer 24

A strategy where professionals communicate effectively with their superiors to shape work processes and minimize unnecessary demands, reducing workload stress.

Question 25

What are work boundary tactics, and how do they help professionals?

Answer 25

Work boundary tactics are strategies used to manage project tasks and workload effectively, reducing unpredictability and preventing burnout.

Question 26

Self-Management Tactics

Answer 26

Strategies professionals use to regulate their own work behaviors, such as curbing perfectionism and focusing on what is necessary rather than striving for unattainable ideals.

Question 27

Temporal Tactics

Answer 27

Time-based strategies that professionals use to protect their personal time, such as scheduling regular breaks or setting strict limits on work hours.

Question 28

Support-Seeking Tactics

Answer 28

Strategies where professionals seek help from peers to set boundaries or address conflicts between work demands and personal life.

Question 29

What is the hidden sustainable network in professional settings?

Answer 29

It is an informal group of professionals who support each other in maintaining work-life balance while avoiding stigma from the dominant ideal worker culture.

Question 30

Psychological Safety

Answer 30

A sense of security that allows professionals to express their true work-life needs and boundaries without fear of negative consequences.

Question 31

Why do sustainable workers avoid perfectionist tendencies?

Answer 31

Sustainable workers recognize that striving for perfection in every task can lead to burnout, so they adopt a balanced approach to delivering quality work without overextending themselves.

Question 32

Sustainable Work Dyadic Relationships

Answer 32

Close working relationships between individuals who share the sustainable worker schema, supporting each other in balancing work and personal commitments.

Question 33

Project Management Tactics

Answer 33

Tactics that involve organizing work tasks, managing scope, and planning to maintain predictability and prevent work from encroaching on personal life.

Question 34

Work-Life Integration

Answer 34

A concept where work and personal life are blended together, rather than being strictly separated, allowing for flexibility in managing both.

Question 35

Why are professionals hesitant to set boundaries in ideal worker cultures?

Answer 35

Professionals fear being stigmatized as “less committed” if they set boundaries, leading to career penalties and damage to their reputation.

Question 36

Collaborative Project Staffing

Answer 36

The practice of informally arranging project teams to include individuals who share a sustainable work mindset, enhancing team dynamics and work-life balance.

Question 37

How does advocacy function within the hidden sustainable network?

Answer 37

Senior members in sustainable networks advocate for their team members, helping them access accommodations and protecting them from penalties associated with work-life balance needs.

Question 38

What is the role of the safety net(work) in professional boundary work?

Answer 38

It provides a hidden support system where professionals can practice sustainable work methods while protecting each other from the pressures of the ideal worker norm.

Question 39

Boundary Violations

Answer 39

Instances where professionals are unable to maintain the desired separation between work and personal life, often due to the demands of the ideal worker culture.

Question 40

How does the sustainable worker schema influence work redesign?

Answer 40

The sustainable worker schema encourages redesigning work processes to reduce long hours and promote work-life balance without compromising performance.