The Paradox of (not) Belonging: A Phenomenological Analysis of Contingent Group Membership in Higher Education

Abstract

Colleges and universities are similar to many other organizations in that they have employees, clients, stakeholders, vendors, cultures, goals, leadership, and hierarchies. Colleges and universities also have contingent group members; those who belong, yet do not belong. This dissertation examines the experiences of three types of contingent group members situated in the university organizational structure: international graduate students, ADA university staff whose roles support students with disabilities, and adjunct professors. This study argues that there are three distinct types of contingent group members: outsiders within (i.e., international graduate students), individuals with a courtesy stigma (i.e., ADA university staff), and contract workers (i.e., adjunct professors). There are few communication studies that focus on the common phenomenological experiences of contingent group members. Phenomenological analysis of participant journal entries and participant-elicited photography facilitated the understanding of the communicative experiences of contingent group membership. Analyzing the complexities of contingent group membership through the common socialization experiences of the three contingent groups revealed six dominant themes. Stories of anticipation and the experiences of joining their respective target groups emerged in the theme (1) Role Anticipation and Target Group Entry. This theme includes the participants’ expectations and the emotional outcomes of contingent group membership. The second theme revealed that all participant groups experienced (2) Stigma Shock as a result of stigmatizing messages from their target groups. These messages were unanticipated, surprising, and hurtful. The participants’ encounters with socially constructed communicative barriers appear as a theme dubbed (3) Suspended in Liminality. Ultimately, experiences of liminality isolated participants, resulting in the fourth theme (4) Hesitant Identification. This theme explores how these barriers impeded group identification, as well as relational development with others. The participants strategically used communication to manage their contingent group roles, which are represented in the fifth theme, (5) Communication Strategies. Finally, in theme six, (6) The Paradox of (not) Belonging, participant journals reflect the essence of contingent group membership and how they experience (not) belonging. Without exception, the study participants from all three groups experienced contingent group membership in similar and meaningful ways. By contextualizing research to explore the contingent group member experience within a single type of organization, institutions of higher education, I contribute to our understanding of member role and organizational socialization by expanding Jablin’s (1987, 2010) organizational assimilation model. The findings of this research contribute to scholarly knowledge about the liminal space of contingent group status. Organizational assimilation is the preferred outcome for those whose primary quest is to fit in with and match the expectations of bona fide organizational members. It is important to understand members of higher education’s organizational identification because identification can influence important individual outcomes, such as psychological well-being (Ashforth & Mael, 1989; Dutton et al., 1994). This project expands existing knowledge about the communicative experiences of contingent group members’ organizational socialization and identification, which help to discover new ways to foster inclusion for contingent groups. Theoretical contributions, practical implications, limitations, and future directions for research are also reviewed.