New Publication in the Journal of Organizational Behavior

We are pleased to announce the publication of the new paper by Sophie Feldner, Dominik Hettich, and Torsten Bornemann, titled “Personal Roles, Professional Choices: The Effect of Boundary Management in Professional Partner Selection” in the Journal of Organizational Behavior.

This study examines how individuals in today’s increasingly digital and information‑scarce work environments manage boundaries between their personal and professional roles, and how these preferences shape their willingness to initiate professional relationships. Across five experimental studies, the authors show that preferences for separating or integrating personal and professional roles significantly influence the selection of potential business partners, regardless of how deliberate the decision‑making process is. Moreover, this effect remains stable under more deliberate thinking only among more experienced employees.

These findings provide valuable insights for organizations navigating hybrid and digitally mediated workplaces. They also highlight how personal role preferences shape networking decisions and what this may imply for how professionals choose to present themselves on digital profiles.

The article is available as Early View unter the following DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/job.70075