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Growing at Work: Employees' Interpretations of Progressive Self-Change in Organizations

Author

Listed:
  • Scott Sonenshein

    (Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005)

  • Jane E. Dutton

    (Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109)

  • Adam M. Grant

    (The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104)

  • Gretchen M. Spreitzer

    (Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109)

  • Kathleen M. Sutcliffe

    (Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109)

Abstract

We develop theory about how growing at work is an interpretive accomplishment in which individuals sense that they are making progressive self-change. Through a study of how employees interpret themselves as growing at three organizations, we develop a theoretical account of how employees draw from contextual and personal resources to interpret their growing in ways that embed their idiosyncratic experiences within an organization. The data suggest that employees develop three different types of growing self-construals: achieving, learning, and helping. We use our data to ground theory that explains the development of growing self-construals as deeply embedded in organizations. At the same time, we suggest that growing self-construals reflect individual agency through how individuals work with available resources to weave interpretations of themselves into their growing self-construals. We further suggest that growing self-construals influence the actions employees take to support a sense of progressive self-change.

Suggested Citation

  • Scott Sonenshein & Jane E. Dutton & Adam M. Grant & Gretchen M. Spreitzer & Kathleen M. Sutcliffe, 2013. "Growing at Work: Employees' Interpretations of Progressive Self-Change in Organizations," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(2), pages 552-570, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:24:y:2013:i:2:p:552-570
    DOI: 10.1287/orsc.1120.0749
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Fisher, Greg & Neubert, Emily & Burnell, Devin, 2021. "Resourcefulness narratives: Transforming actions into stories to mobilize support," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 36(4).
    3. Fernando, Dulini & Patriotta, Gerardo, 2020. "“Us versus them”: Sensemaking and identity processes in skilled migrants’ experiences of occupational downgrading," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(4).
    4. Yongbo Sun & Xiaojuan Hu & Yixin Ding, 2019. "Learning or Relaxing: How Do Challenge Stressors Stimulate Employee Creativity?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-20, March.
    5. Zulfiqar Ahmed Iqbal & Ghulam Abid & Francoise Contreras & Qandeel Hassan & Rabbia Zafar, 2020. "Ethical Leadership and Innovative Work Behavior: The Mediating Role of Individual Attributes," JOItmC, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-15, August.
    6. Omer Erdem Kocak, 2016. "How to Enable Thriving at Work through Organizational Trust?," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 5(4), pages 40-52, July.

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