Exploring the interplay between organizational and occupational embeddedness

This paper aims at investigating the process through which the different dimensions (i.e. fit, links, and sacrifice) of organizational embeddedness and occupational embeddedness may interact with each other affecting individuals' intention to stay in their present employment settings even when they have several opportunities to change and even though there is great cultural acceptance of such mobility. In doing so, we carried out an explorative case study on the dancers of an Italian ballet company that is one of Europe’s most renowned dance companies. We conducted a qualitative analysis on data that we collected from multiple sources: interviews with the organization’s members and industry experts, participant observation, and documents. Our findings suggest that the interplay among the different dimensions of organizational embeddedness and occupational embeddedness is complex and specifically may vary across individual career stages. Propositions that may be addressed by future research and managerial implications are discussed.