Contingent Employment at Saskatchewan Polytechnic: A Grounded Theory Study

Abstract

This qualitative study investigated the experiences of five term contract employed instructors at Saskatchewan Polytechnic using the constructivist grounded theory methodology as discussed by Charmaz (2014). The theoretical framework for the study was informed by a review of theories pertaining to organizational behavior and contingent employment as well as the economic and professional development theoretical perspectives on contingent employment. Five participants were interviewed individually using open-ended interviews to elicit their views regarding their contingent employment arrangements. Grounded theory was chosen in an attempt to derive a theory based on the experiences of these five participants rather than trying to fit the experiences into existing theories. The findings showed six core theoretical concepts accounted for the experiences of the contingently employed staff: System Factors, Interaction With Others, Work Conditions, Internal Motivations and Assessments, Doing the Work, and Deriving Personal Benefit (Internal). Each of these core concepts consisted of a number of categories that interacted with each other in either a positive or a negative way, resulting in an overall impact on the participants’ experiences of the work situation. This interaction was examined through the lens of system dynamics (Sterman, 2000). These core concepts and their substantive categories suggest that supervisors, managers, and other organizational figures may have points of intervention to support and even to enhance contingently employed people’s work experiences. A number of possible recommendations for managers, organizations and employees were outlined. Suggestions for possible future research were also provided.