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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Angela MazzettiORCiD
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Introduction: In this paper, we reflect on our lived experiences of becoming Business School academics. We focus on identity work and reflect on how we formed, repaired, maintained, strengthened and revised our identities as academics throughout our careers, and the impact this identity work has had on our sense of belonging, recognition and well-being.Goals and Methods: We share the findings of our 18-month duoethnographic study of becoming Business School Academics. We engaged in duoethnographic polyvocal dialogue and sense-making on how our identities have been shaped and how we have developed professionally over nearly two decades of working in Business Schools. We use critical incidents from our lived experiences across our different career stages and different institutions to critically reflect on our journeys of becoming.Results: Our exploration is situated within the context of two higher education institutions that are increasingly influenced by the competitive research landscape. We use duoethnography as a method to examine our shared and separate experiences of navigating traditional Business School environments, facing rejection and setbacks, as well as achieving recognition as Senior Fellows of the Higher Education Academy. As we earned our doctoral degrees and transitioned into more scholarly identities through publishing and broader engagement, our reflective narrative highlights that professional identity is not a fixed state but a continuing, iterative journey, influenced by personal motivations and wider contextual factors, including institutional expectations and sectoral influences.Conclusions: We reflect on how at times our identity work was a beneficial coping strategy that helped us to gain a sense of authenticity, recognition and belonging, whilst at other times, our identity work hindered our professional development, impacting our overall wellbeing. Overall, this duoethnography provides insights into the multifaceted and often contradictory experiences of becoming an academic in a Business School environment.
Author(s): Mazzetti AS, Waters-Ajisafe F
Publication type: Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstract)
Publication status: Published
Conference Name: 10th World Conference on Qualitative Research
Year of Conference: 2026
Print publication date: 19/01/2026
Online publication date: 19/01/2026
Acceptance date: 21/10/2025
URL: https://wcqr.ludomedia.org/
