Off Script, Still Successful? Career Paths and Career Success of Academics in U.S. Business Schools
研究美国商学院202位教师的职业路径，发现许多学者偏离传统终身教职轨道，但替代路径（如马赛克式或停滞型）仍能带来较高主观满意度，尽管薪酬较低。
The academic career in business schools normally follows an institutionalized script that prescribes advancing through tenure-track positions, with success measured by such objective metrics as timely advancement through the ranks, publications, and citation counts. However, emerging evidence suggests that some academics may hold different views of their careers and associated success and, as a result, pursue career paths that deviate from the dominant script. The characteristics of such deviations and their implications for objective and subjective career success remain unclear. Drawing on career script theory and using sequence analysis, we explore differences in the career paths of 202 faculty members in U.S. business schools. Our findings reveal that many scholars depart from the dominant script. While a fast-track career path that closely adheres to the institutionalized career script shows the highest levels of both subjective and objective career success, faculty following alternative and similarly prevalent mosaic or plateaued careers report relatively high subjective career satisfaction despite more limited compensation. These findings challenge the assumption that a single academic career path dominates business schools, showing instead that multiple career paths exist and offer comparable opportunities for individual fulfillment.