Boundary work in response to stigmatized lower-status: the construction of a role

We draw on an inductive analysis of the disability officers’ boundary work seen as stigmatised staff professional. We attend to understand the impact of a boundary work on the professionalisation process of lower-status actor in organisation. We explore more specifically the work of 16 disability officers in private companies in France to develop their centrality and to build an ecosystem. Based on semi-structured interviews, observation in situ and secondary material, we find a stigmatized low-status actor uses a portfolio of configurational boundary work to become legitimate; his or her professionalization project has an influence on the “disability” institution in their organisation; working on a stigmatized topic has a neutral impact on disability officers’ success career. Finally, we identified two resources that allow low-status actor to engage in boundary work: position and intimate knowledge of the stigma.