The professional third space describes the emerging areas that exist between the traditional functions of an organization. Professionals in these spaces operate outside of traditional pathways to leadership, often experiencing a blurring of boundaries and the creation of new roles and responsibilities. Think training and development professionals. Think operational support. Think creativity and communication, marketing, and customer support. Think women.
There is no doubt about it: Professional third spaces are spaces dominated by women. They are the spaces where organizations can claim equity and inclusion, but they are also spaces where recognition and advancement remain a relative anomaly. Unsure if you’re a third space professional? Here are a few key characteristics:
- Boundary-less roles: Third space professionals often have roles that are not clearly defined by traditional job descriptions or organizational charts. These roles may exist within, between, and outside the traditional leadership/advancement streams.
- Emergence from extended projects: The third space often arises from broadly based projects across the organization that do not fit within traditional boundaries.
- New portfolios of activity: These projects lead to the creation of new portfolios of activity and innovation.
- A relational space: The third space is a relational space that offers professionals and colleagues, clients, or customers a place to experiment, be creative, and take risks. It provides a safe environment for vulnerability, and to contest and voice uncertainty.
- Ambiguous and uncertain: Third spaces can be ambiguous and uncertain for those working within them. Professionals in this space may face bureaucratic challenges and paradoxes.
- Catalyst for collaboration: Third space professionals often serve as catalysts, architects, or leaders of collaborative initiatives aimed at organizational success. They are positioned at the crossroads of multiple organizational domains.
- Intersectional: The third space is often a place of intersectionality and hybridity, facilitating complex collaborations.
- A space for innovation: The third space is a space where professionals can retreat from traditional structures to create and innovate. It is a space for creative development of high-impact practices.
- A space of resistance: Third spaces can be seen as spaces of resistance where new identities are formed.
- Diverse roles: Third space professionals include those in areas such as organizational development, training and leadership development, design, and special programs and centers.
- Positioned in the "in-between": Third space professionals are positioned between the "formal" roles of an organization—those that most likely lead to career advancement and formal leadership opportunities.
- Increasingly relevant: Third space professionals are becoming increasingly relevant to the survival of organizations, particularly as they are well-positioned to dismantle hierarchical and patriarchal structures.
- Bridging the divide: Third space professionals can act as a bridge between the traditional dichotomous streams of organizational structure.
- Supporting success: They are essential for customer and employee engagement and success. They create environments that enhance well-being and improve key metrics.
- Driving innovation: Third space professionals are often at the forefront of innovation and are well-positioned to create.
- Responding to change: They help organizations respond to the evolving landscape of their field/industry.
- Lack of recognition: Despite their contributions, third space professionals often grapple with their professional identities and how they are perceived and valued within the organization. Their work is often not recognized, or is under-recognized.
- Role ambiguity: The ambiguous nature of the third space can lead to role confusion.
- Organizational blind spot: Much of the work in the third space occurs in an organizational blind spot and goes unnoticed, or under-recognized.
- Often marginalized: Though they play critical roles, third space professionals are often marginalized within the organizational structure. They may be excluded from organizational support and governance structures.
- Navigating the system: Third space professionals are often left to navigate the professional, political, and social landscape unescorted.
- Often women: The majority of third space professionals are women.
Understanding the professional third space is critical for addressing the challenges and opportunities facing organizations today. It is also important for promoting equity and inclusion in leadership roles across industries.
So, how do we, as women in the third space, achieve professional self-actualization and success? Through a combination of individual actions and organizational support, the "system-servant-self" model suggests that self-actualization for women in the third space is dependent on whether the system supports third space leadership. Regardless, if you identify as a third space professional, here are a few key ways you ?can achieve professional self-actualization:
- When the system supports third space leadership: When the system values and supports the work of the third space, women in these roles can experience professional self-actualization.
This includes fair pay, opportunities for advancement, and the freedom to influence others.
In these supportive environments, women can realize their full potential within their organizations.
- When the system does not support third space leadership: If the system devalues the labor of the third space, or if it doesn't provide clear paths to advancement, third space professionals often turn inward.
In this case, they may seek professional self-actualization in other spaces or outside the confines of their specific positions, remaining intentionally unbounded from and uncommitted to the organization.
Individual actions that support self-actualization:
- Self-advocacy and self-promotion: Third space professionals need to actively promote themselves and their work, especially when the organizational structure doesn't automatically grant them power or legitimacy.
This involves making their work visible, demonstrating their value to the institution, and building institutional capital.
This can be a challenge, as the third space is often unbounded and ambiguous.
- Embracing a Servant-Self Approach: Women in the third space often exhibit qualities of servant leadership, prioritizing the needs of others.
At the same time, they must also be self-directed and self-actualized in order to thrive as leaders, even without formal leadership opportunities.
They combine their focus on empowering others with a drive for personal and professional growth.
- Seeking External Opportunities: When workplace satisfaction or self-actualization is lacking within their current role, third space professionals may seek work outside their full-time position to achieve professional fulfillment.
This can be a mechanism for coping with professional neglect or strain, or to achieve personal fulfillment.
- Building Community and Connections: Third space professionals often foster a culture of community actualization, where they work to meet the needs of the people around them and create an environment of trust and cooperation.
This involves mentoring, supporting, and empowering others in their spaces and creating a sense of belonging62021.
- Challenging Traditional Systems: Women in the third space can actively challenge patriarchal structures and advocate for justice within their institutions.
By doing so, they work to create a more equitable and inclusive environment where everyone's contributions are valued.
Organizational changes that support self-actualization
- Restructuring the System: Organizations need to restructure their systems so that third space positions are valued as much as more traditional roles.
This involves recognizing the unique contributions of third space professionals and providing them with the resources and recognition they deserve.
- Valuing Third Space Work: Organizations should give value to the core work that occurs in the third space, including "organizational housekeeping," often carried out by women.
This means moving away from a top-down system and providing currency for the high-impact results that are achieved in the third space.
- Feminizing the Hierarchy: Organizations should move away from strict top-down structures and adopt more democratic, relational approaches to leadership.
This involves valuing the relational work of the third space and creating a culture where all voices are heard and valued.
- Fair Compensation and Opportunities: Organizations should ensure pay equity and provide clear paths for promotion for third space professionals.
This includes ensuring that pay structures don’t privilege one leadership stream over another.
In short, by combining individual efforts with a supportive organizational system, women in the third space can achieve self-actualization, contributing to a more equitable and innovative environment in their field or industry.
