Surviving a re-entry: second-career academics in business schools in Malaysia

Abstract

Recently, the re-entry of business executives into academia as second-career academics has become increasingly common. However, very few studies have been carried out to investigate how these second-career academics survive in their new working environment. The current study set out to explore the survival of second-career academics upon their re-entry into academia. A total of 31 s-career academics were recruited from business schools in eight universities in Malaysia. Data were collected via semistructured interviews and focus group discussions. The narratives were supplemented by artefacts collected from the participants. Thematic analysis of the narratives was carried out using the hermeneutical approach. One of the main themes that emerged from the study was the sense of self-efficacy experienced by the participants as a result of their previous industry experience. This perceived self-efficacy empowers these second-career academics in carrying out academic tasks such as teaching, academic research, and industry outreach. Such insights are important for university management to create polices and implement practices that facilitate the transition process and ensure the sustainability of these second-career academics. The finding also highlighted the pivoting role of self-efficacy in surviving a career transition.