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Abstract

Research on the imposter phenomenon (IP) is burgeoning. Most research, however, has studied the role of personality factors, attitudinal disposition, and individual beliefs as a determinant of IP. Surprisingly, the role of context has not been explored enough. Recent research indicates that context can trigger the experience of the imposter phenomenon. This study confirms these results and calls for contextualizing IP from a systemic or organizational perspective rather than as a personal challenge. In this study, we argue that women returning to careers in the technology fields after a career break may experience IP due to contextual and situational factors. To this end, we explore the experiences of IP among reentry women (who returned to the same career after a break) through a qualitative study. Analysis of data collected through interviews of women re-entering technology careers (N=31) yielded four major themes: dynamism, mandatory teamwork, situations that demanded initiative-taking, and information sharing and the need to ask for help. The themes indicated that IP is not only determined by personality and attitudes, but can also be triggered by situations like a team-driven work context. We discuss the findings of the study in relation to existing literature and present theoretical and policy implications.

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