Front-Line Liminality: Using Identity Transitions to Improve Leader Identification and Selection at a US Oil Refinery

Abstract

"Sabine Refining (pseudonym), a downstream oil, gas, and logistics company, wants to identify and select the best candidates for Front-Line Leader roles in their principal refinery. Sabine Refining’s Learning and Operations team has recognized that the current identification and selection process could be more equitable and realistically reflect how individuals become leaders. The use of qualitative research methods, which included semi-structured interviews of current Front-Line Leaders and HR staff, as well as content analysis of existing Front-Line Leader selection documents, yielded the following findings: 1. The candidate’s current supervisor plays a pivotal role in the identification and selection of Front-Line Leaders. 2. Unfavorable perceptions around decreased take-home pay and job security disinterest potential candidates. 3. Existing tools to transition identity are mostly informal and are left up to the candidate to navigate. 4. Formal identity transition points do not presently exist for Front-Line Leaders."