Crisis within a Crisis: The Destabilizing Effect of Societal Crises on Individual Work Orientation

Abstract

<p>At any moment, organizations may face a range of crises, from global pandemics and economic depressions to business catastrophes – all of which can strain operational processes and performance (Wright et al., 2020; Williams et al., 2017). Research suggests that crises can also engender positive organizational growth, learning, and identity (Fink et al., 1971), which may trickle down to the group and individual levels. However, the dynamics underpinning the interplay of organizational-, group-, and individual-level shifts in meaning of work amidst “a backdrop of change and ‘outside’ elements” (Cheney & Thompkins, 1987: 5) remain largely underexplored. Research that addresses meaning of work in times of crisis and change not only helps to close this gap, but also enables scholars to understand when and why thriving (vs. decline) amidst crisis occurs. This symposium brings together five field-based investigations to focus on the interplay of individual, group, and organizational dynamics around the meaning of work in the context of crisis. First, Jiang and Cho quantitatively examine the macro effects of a societal level crisis and how a societal crisis can trigger a personal one in terms of individuals’ meaning of work; in particular, they uncover that one’s meaning of work can be temporarily unsettled by an external, societal-level crisis. Second, Gorges explores people’s experiences of downshifting—defined as a voluntary long-term change to spend less time on work and more time on leisure—following a large global crisis, namely, the COVID-19 pandemic. Third, Eun examines how callings are expressed in crises, such as the COVID-19 crisis, illuminating not only the prevailing prosocial nature of callings, but also revealing work orientations as an important input to crisis behaviors. Fourth, Sala considers the effects of occupational level threats and how they affect individuals’ sense of self and meaning. Finally, Rocheville and colleagues unpack the effects of individual-level crises in illuminating how workers in chronic pain create and/or sustain a positive meaning of work. Sally Maitlis, a distinguished scholar of how people make sense of challenges and trauma at work in meaningful ways, will serve as the discussant to highlight both theoretical and practical implications as well as future research directions.<br></p>