Advancing the Conceptualization and Operationalization of Identity Play and Identity Work

This thesis investigates the importance of identity play and identity work and the impact of the two identity construction processes on individuals within the context of work. Considering the evolving nature of work, understanding how people can proactively shape who they want to become in relation to work is increasingly important. The purpose of my thesis is to provide conceptual clarity, broaden the methodological toolkit and highlight the equal importance and value of identity play and identity work. Across three papers, theoretical and empirical insights are provided on the processes, antecedents, and consequences of identity play and identity work. The first paper provides an overarching conceptual framework applied to the leadership context to explain how individuals construct but also possibly deconstruct their leader identity. The paper highlights identity processes as central mechanisms through which leadership-relevant events can either build or undermine a leader’s sense of self. The second paper investigates the relationship between identity play and identity work with future self engagement in an experiment with employees (N = 215) and an intervention study with leadership students (N = 164). Across both studies, identity play and identity work positively relate with future work or leader self engagement. Additionally, identity play may foster greater variety and differentiation in possible future work selves. The final paper of my thesis involves the development and validation of identity play and identity work measures. Across three time-lagged studies with different samples experiencing transitional work-related periods (N1 = 598; N2 = 450; N3 = 518), the findings provide evidence for construct validity as well as scalar measurement invariance. Furthermore, the nomological network, including antecedents, orbiting constructs and consequences of identity play and identity work, is empirically tested. Overall, this thesis contributes towards theoretically elaborating and empirically testing identity play and identity work as distinct yet complementary processes for identity development providing a springboard for future research and recommendations for practice.