Week 5 – Theories in Action 2

One really dynamic leadership theory that I see manifest in my internship at FLIP National is the Social Identity Theory. The social identity theory explores how every person has aspects of their identity based upon the groups/communities they align themselves with. As such, there are both in-groups and out-groups present for each social group, and that impacts who is elevated to leader status, how followers interact with themselves or others, etc.

The non-profit organization I intern at, FLIP National, is built upon the needs and advocacy for first generation college students. This identity is a social one, in that it would mean little without the social realities of what is “typical” or more privileged (having parents who have gone to college) vs. the more disadvantaged group of individuals. Thus, it is rather obvious that the people we serve, as first generation college students, have their social identities play a big role on whether we as an organization support them. 

However, even within the employees and leaders/ followers of the organization, our shared social identity and first generation college students unites us and creates a deep sense of trust. My supervisor has been through the hardships, as well as my fellow team members, and so there is this resilience, comfort, and trust I feel around them.

However, we cannot forget about the darker side of social identity as well, in terms of who ends up as the “out-groups.” One less controversial group is that of administrators. Oftentimes, university administrators may preach for inclusivity and first generation student resources, but there is often a detachment on the actual needs of the students themselves. Given that we have seen such conflict so often in many universities throughout the nation, we as an organization do often place universities and their administrators as an out-group.

A more controversial and blurred in-group/ out-group conflict may arise in the social identities of first-generation vs. low-income. Oftentimes the students we work with identify as both (FGLI), however, that is not always the case. There may be certain circumstances and experiences that FGLI students face that first-generation students of higher socioeconomic status may not resonate with. While in practice our organization does not see big divides in regards to this, it is a topic I have seen brought up here and there at conferences and such.