NAVIGATING BY ATTIRE - THE USE OF DRESS BY FEMALE ADMINISTRATIVE EMPLOYEES

We conducted an inductive study of the everyday decisions about dress at work of female administrative employees in a university business sc hool. Our findings reveal that dress is an attribute embedded in a var iety of cognitive schemata that govern individuals' comprehension of a nd behavior at work, In acquiring and executing these schemata, employ ees make efforts that enhance their emotional preparedness for jobs an d improve interpersonal relations. The study offers implications for t heory and research on organizational symbolism, role taking, and the c urrent practical trend toward relaxed dress.