Careers, social context and interdisciplinary thinking

Scholars have engaged in studies of careers, individuals’ work experiences over time, since the early 20th century. Although much has been written about the need for interdisciplinary research, limited work exists. This article presents a comparative technique that facilitates interdisciplinary thinking. Using data from a large organization, three stories are applied to the associations between social context and career outcomes: a different disciplines story, a multiple disciplines story and an interdisciplinary story. The results suggest that the best career satisfaction outcome results from the multiple disciplines story, whereas the best performance and salary outcomes result from the interdisciplinary story.