Revealing Intersectional Dynamics in Organizations: Introducing ‘Intersectional Identity Work’

Abstract

Little consensus exists regarding conducting intersectional studies. We introduce 'intersectional identity work' as an approach for examining individuals' experiences at the nexus of multiple identities. Incorporating identity work as a theoretical and analytical framework, we use journals and interviews to examine identity-heightening episodes that trigger meaning-making of intersecting senior, gender and ethnic identities among British Asian and black women and men. Our analysis reveals how intersecting identities are leveraged in encounters with subordinates, superiors and clients. Intersectional locations provide resources and cues for claiming or restricting privileged and disadvantaged status in asymmetric power positions. Intersectional identity work expands and restricts identification at juxtaposed locations. It offers a prospect for elucidating intersectional dynamics present in a range of identity configurations and addresses critiques that individual-level intersectional analyses at intersections are mere narrative. We encourage further research that examines other socially salient identities using our approach to develop theory on how multiple identities play out in everyday experience.Keywords: intersectionality, identity work, methodology, ethnicity, gender Introduction C onducting intersectional studies is a primary focus of debate in feminist scholarship across legal, political, sociological and psychological disciplines. Yet there is minimal consensus regarding exactly how one conducts such research. Explicit methodological guidelines are elusive (Nash, 2008), conducting it challenging (Browne and Misra, 2003), complicated and 'fraught with dangers ' (Healy et al., 2010, p. 4). We contribute to the conversation regarding developing a new approach befitting this influential framework conceptualizing the complexity of simultaneous identity and subject positions. We propose incorporating identity work as a theoretical lens and analytical framework into intersectionality research, due to its focus on explicating everyday experiences of self-identification. Adopting an individual constructivist perspective, we utilize identity work -the effort engaged in personal meaning-making -as an orienting device for analysing/making sense of intersecting identities. We conduct intersectional analyses of identity-heightening experiences of senior black and Asian male and female professionals in Britain. Using an identity work lens, we contribute to the debate on elucidating intersectional dynamics by revealing how intersecting identities are engaged as cues and resources, expanding and restricting power positions in asymmetrical interactions with clients, subordinates and superiors.We provide an overview of approaches to conducting intersectional research, including critiques regarding descriptive approaches of individual-level treatments of intersectionality. We

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