Work

The bored self in knowledge work

Year: 2015

Type: article

Abstract: This article draws attention to reported experiences of boredom in knowledge work. Drawing on extensive qualitative data gathered at two management consultancy firms, we analyze these experiences as a particular interaction with identity regulation and work experiences. We conceptualize the reports of the bored self as a combination of unfilled aspirations and the sense of stagnation, leading to an arrested identity. Our contribution is to expand extant conceptualizations of employee interactions with identity regulation, in particular relating to identity work and identification. The findings provide a critical rendering of the glamourized image of knowledge work.

Source: Human Relations

DOI: 10.1177/0018726715579736

Authors: Jana Costas, Dan Kärreman

Institutions: European University Viadrina, Copenhagen Business School

Language: English

Topic: Management and Organizational Studies

Subfield: Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W2259434795

FWCI: 11.03

Cites: 92

Cited by: 91

Related to: 10