Managing Boundaries in the New World of Work
Journal
Academy of Management Proceedings
ISSN
0065-0668
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2024-08
Author(s)
Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks
;
Lauren Christine Howe
;
Laura Maria Giurge
;
;
Philip Rogiers
;
Kevin W. Rockmann
Abstract
This symposium draws attention to novel insights around how employees navigate boundaries in the new world of work. The four papers included in this symposium move beyond the traditional treatment of boundaries at the domain level of work and home (or in some cases work and family) to introduce a much-needed nuanced view of boundaries around tasks, digital technology, diverse teams, organizations, and multiple role-demands. First, Lauren Howe will present a paper investigating how workers make decisions about controlling (i.e., limiting access to or revealing) aspects of their identities in video calls, which shows important disconnects between what workers experience as authentic and what observers perceive as authentic. Second, Laura Giurge will present a paper documenting the performance and well-being benefits of crafting temporal boundaries around work and non-work activities. Third, Zoe Jonassen will present a theoretical paper on the conditions and practices that enable boundary-spanning teams to learn and innovate across organizational boundaries even when collaborations fail. Finally, Philip Rogiers will offer a theoretical paper on how people navigate multiple role demands by engaging in “bounded contributions”—that is, restricting one’s time spent across various roles—to navigate a progressively more boundaryless world made up of multiple competing role demands. Collectively, these papers aim to spark conversations that recognize emerging aspects of boundaries. More broadly, this symposium illustrates how ignoring the diverse and complex nature of boundaries, enhanced in part by technology and workplace innovations, can be costly for employees and organizations who want to maintain a competitive advantage as well as for management scholars who care about expanding our understanding of how technology and workplace innovations are revolutionizing boundaries among different aspects of our lives.
Refereed
yes
Publisher
Academy of Management
Volume
2024
Number
1