Communication and Voluntary Downward Career Changes

Abstract

Downward career changes are challenging in societies which place a premium on the accumulation of material wealth and discourage risk-taking, such as Singapore. To better understand how individuals manage their identities during such changes, 30 individuals who had completed a voluntary downward career change were interviewed. Results suggest three phases of communication during this process: (1) Decision making, in which individuals communicate to gather information about the change and seek support for it; (2) Announcement, in which they strategically time, frame, and deliver the message to maximize acceptance of the change; and (3) New career, in which they reframe, refocus, and recalibrate to increase their social identity. The findings suggest strategies individuals may use to effectively manage their social identities as they change careers and suggest strategies organizations may use for recruiting individuals into socially less-prestigious occupations.

Keywords:

• Voluntary Career Change
• Downward Career Change
• Career Change

Acknowledgments

This manuscript is a collaborative effort based on Tan's dissertation on which Kramer was the advisor. A previous version of this manuscript was presented at the National Communication Association Annual Convention in New Orleans, LA, in November 2011

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Claire L. Tan

Claire L. Tan (PhD University of Missouri, 2008) works in the Corporate Communication Division of the Ministry of Health in Singapore

Michael W. Kramer

Michael W. Kramer (PhD University of Texas, 1991) is chair and professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Oklahoma. His research broadly focuses on the organizational socialization/assimilation process from entry to exit