Bridgework: A Model of Brokering Relationships Across Social Boundaries in Organizations
研究第三方如何通过“桥梁工作”策略，帮助组织内污名化与非污名化群体建立关系，基于对自闭症成人职业教练的访谈和观察。
Relationships are central to organizing, work, and organizations. Yet, in many instances, relationships do not build themselves, and third-party actors are often needed to intervene in situations, persuade individuals, and facilitate connections across disconnected actors in organizations. Little is known about the strategies through which third-party actors can broker relationships across what are considered to be intractable social boundaries—membership in stigmatized or nonstigmatized social identity-based groups. We build a process theory of what we call “bridgework,” the strategy used by third-party agents, intermediaries, and allies to bridge by shifting value-related perceptions about actors on the other side of social identity-based divides. More specifically, we focus on a stigmatizing social identity that can create boundaries that are often reinforced through informal network ties. Based on interviews, participatory observation, and archival data with job coaches for adults with autism spectrum disorders and related developmental disabilities, we showcase a model of bridgework—a combination of internal and external strategies across three stages (adding, stabilizing, and maintaining perceptions of value) to facilitate relationships between stigmatized and nonstigmatized members of organizations. We discuss how our grounded model contributes to the rich traditions of research on stigma, brokerage, disability studies, positive relationships, and compassion in organizations. Funding: This project was supported by a Smeal Small Research Grant in Spring 2015.