Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2009
Abstract
Absent from a quickly accumulating literature on job engagement is a focus on professionals in the financial industry. There is, in particular, little research on the organization or industry identity of bankers as a discrete group. Nor has the literature explored the relationship of these identities with job engagement or environmental duress. We seized an opportunity to study the effects of the 2007-2009 financial crisis on bankers' identities and passion for their jobs. Semi-structured interviews with 28 mid-level bankers at five prominent US banks that accepted Toxic Asset Relief Program funding (TARP) captured insights about "normal state" (pre-crisis) versus mid-crisis engagement that appear to be associated with comparative institutional performance. The difference suggests a shift in engagement and identity linked to relative performance and, more specifically, to management practices. Our findings suggest mindful leadership can mitigate the deleterious effects of crisis generated stigma on professional identity.
Keywords
banks and banking, study and teaching, banks, crisis, engagement, identity, leadership, stigma
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Weaver, Glen, "From Esteem to Stigma: The Effect of the Financial Crisis on Banker Engagement" (2009). Student Scholarship. 223.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/223