Careers, Social Context and Interdisciplinary Thinking

Abstract

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 paper 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.