No abstract

Purpose This paper aims to highlight the social dynamics associated with the interaction between temporary and permanent organizational members in non-work-related situations. This view contrasts with previous studies which predominantly focus on work-related situations. Inspired by Goffman's dramaturgical metaphor, a perspective which emphasizes the influence of social regions on group membership as well as the ritual foundation of everyday social interactions is developed. Design/methodology/approach This paper’s methodological foundation is a constructivist grounded theory study of 15 undergraduate nursing students' experiences as temporary members during their clinical placements. Findings Temporary members arrive at their new organization with an expectation of attending non-work-related situations on similar terms as permanent members. However, they do not expect to be treated as new colleagues. They experience being excluded and ignored, which makes them feel humiliated, denied recognition and deprived of their dignity. Originality/value Illuminating social dynamics related to backstage access provides valuable insights to studies of the relationship between temporary and permanent organizational members. Furthermore, redirecting the analytical focus from social dynamics associated with work-related situations to non-work-related ones provides new perspectives on moral exclusion by emphasizing the ritual foundation and its close connection to moral concepts such as dignity and recognition.

Purpose This paper aims to examine how newcomers’ experience and perception of their exposure to the hazing ritual “quizzing” affects their mode of relating to the workgroup. Design/methodology/approach Two illustrative cases are selected from a constructivist grounded theory study based on 15 semi-structured interviews with nursing students in clinical internships at somatic hospital wards. Findings As newcomers to the nursing profession, nursing students are exposed to experienced insiders’ hazing ritual “quizzing” during their internship at Danish hospitals. “Quizzing” is a public ceremony performed by an experienced insider, e.g. a daily or clinical supervisor. The ritual continues until a bystander intervenes even though the newcomer admits not knowing the answers. “Quizzing” is being met with repulsion and represents a deviation from expectations of social inclusion, civilized behavior and hope of resonance. It leaves newcomers feeling alienated and makes them adopting a repulsive mode of relating to the workgroup. Originality/value This paper applies Hartmut Rosa’s resonance theory and theories of workplace hazing to explore how workgroup hazing affects newcomers’ mode of relating to workgroups.

No abstract

Purpose This paper aims to examine how temporaries’ experience and perception of encounters with permanent members’ relational indifference affect the social relations in blended workgroups. Design/methodology/approach Constructivist grounded theory study based on 15 semi-structured interviews with first- and third-year nursing students in clinical internships at somatic hospital wards was used. Findings The authors identified two themes around organizational alienation. Temporaries expected and hoped to experience resonance in their interactions with permanent members, which drove them to make an extra effort when confronted with permanents’ relational indifference. Temporaries felt insignificant, meaningless and unworthy, causing them to adopt a relationless mode of relating, feeling alienated and adapting their expectations and hopes. Practical implications Relational indifference is, unlike relational repulsion, problematic to target directly through intervention policies as organizations would inflict a more profound alienation on temporaries. Originality/value Unlike previous research on blended workgroups, which has predominantly focused on relational repulsion, this paper contributes to understanding how relational indifference affects temporaries’ mode of relating to permanent.