U. of Utah, David Eccles School of Business, United States
Relationships are fundamental to organizational success– they establish role expectations and shared identity between coworkers, guiding collaboration. Extending theories of workplace relational identity, we introduce the concept of intersectional relational identity— the unique, shared identity created between partners through integrating and transforming their intersecting social positions. We consider how partners’ social identity similarity (vs. dissimilarity) and role alignment (vs. misalignment) shape relationship development between work partners. We explicate how the uncertainty generated by identity dissimilarity and role misalignment can enable rather than hinder relationship development, compelling partners to craft relational roles outside the confines of preexisting role expectations. Role co-construction enables partners to create flexible role arrangements optimized to their specific needs and capabilities, allowing them to develop high-quality intersectional relational identities that transcend traditional role constraints. This framework advances relational identity theory by revealing how identity differences and role-prototype misalignment, typically conceptualized as relational barriers, also offer opportunities for innovation.
