Lingering Identities

Our theories about people’s transitions to new work roles generally assume that significant identity changes accompany role change. Offering a contrasting view, this article examines role change as an uncertainty-producing event that, like other such events, may trigger a range of appraisals, associated coping responses, and, consequently, outcomes for the self. I build a conceptual model encompassing both the established view of identity adaptation following role change and a new perspective of identity stability and “lingering identities,” the expression I use to describe identities that are premised on former roles that persist significantly beyond role change. I show how identity adaptation—the cognitive restructuring we have long associated with role change and successful socialization—is not the default response to the ongoing uncertainty that many role changes engender. Rather, ongoing uncertainty triggers cognitive continuity responses that, when sustained, support identity lingering. I examine when lingering identities might inspire role crafting, neutral identification, or disidentification in new roles and when these outcomes might be functional or maladaptive for individuals and organizations. Finally, I discuss the implications lingering identities have for research and for managing people as they move within, between, and beyond today’s workplaces.