Knowledge that Transforms

Although scholars largely assume that workplace microaggressions negatively impact the work relationship between the target and the perpetrator, relational deterioration is not the only observable relational outcome. Indeed, there are instances of relational restoration or even positive adaptation after a workplace microaggression. To coherently make sense of myriad relational outcomes, we draw on theory on relational fractures and theory on intergroup relations to build new theory that specifies how and under what conditions varied relational outcomes may emerge. We theorize that a workplace microaggression, as a relational fracture, by and large activates a target’s motivational system aimed at protecting the self at the expense of the relationship (a self-protective motivation). We then pinpoint the relational conditions under which targets may shift from a self-protective motivation to a relationship-promotive one (characterized by reflection and inquiry) and how, in turn, perpetrators may proceed (in terms of the motivational system activated). We complete our theory by theorizing the conditions under which the pair of motivational systems activated leads to shallower or deeper levels of dyadic relational repair work, with consequences for the work relationship. Our theory offers important insights that challenge, redirect, and extend scholarship on workplace microaggressions.

Recent psychology research has uncovered the transformative power of awe in spurring change. Awe emotional experiences induce change through two functions: (1) the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that challenges existing worldviews and (2) a sense of needing to adjust one’s mental framework to accommodate the vastness. This paper introduces a theoretical framework exploring how awe impacts processes of pursuing transformational opportunities—namely, opportunities that are radical, fulfill dual goals (social and economic), or have a broad scope for scaling. This paper theorizes that entrepreneurial venturing offers a structured way for individuals to process stimuli from an awe episode to identify and validate a transformational opportunity. Our theorizing builds on psychology theories of self-transcendent emotions (generally) and awe (specifically) and extends those theories to mainstream entrepreneurship and management research. We contribute to research on entrepreneurship and management by demonstrating how awe episodes can impact individuals and other stakeholders in pursuing transformational opportunities.

Start-up employees are a crucial yet understudied stakeholder group. This paper develops a theory of the start-up workforce that positions early-stage employees as influential co-constructors of entrepreneurial opportunities. Drawing on constructivist logic and integrating insights from entrepreneurship and organizational behavior, I explore how entrepreneurial opportunity narratives and career fit narratives, generated at the firm and start-up employee levels, respectively, interact and evolve over time. My model unpacks how narrative fidelity—the completeness and coherence of a story—changes across levels as start-ups take shape. Low-fidelity entrepreneurial opportunity narratives attract employees by allowing them to envision themselves as co-constructors. However, narratives solidify as fidelity increases through employment growth and employee entrainment. This process then influences employees’ career fit narratives and their decisions to maintain entrainment or resist and exit. By illuminating the dynamic interplay between macro-level entrepreneurial opportunities and micro-level employee career fit, this interdisciplinary theory advances our understanding of why and when start-up employees entrain or resist, and how their co-constructive efforts significantly influence both the respective start-up’s trajectory and their career fit narrative revisions. My work provides tractable theoretical foundations to further distinguish the start-up workforce as a unique stakeholder group within new ventures facing a novel employment situation.