Peter McInnes

Identity work: processes and dynamics of identity formations

Abstract Our aim is to elucidate a position that takes identity to be dynamic and changeable over time and to propose a conceptualization that provides a way of mapping alternative imperatives and opportunities for identity work. It is argued that dynamic identity is inherently complex, being constructed through interaction between the self and others. These interactive activities are conceptualised as “identity work”.[1] We regard an understanding of identity work to be significant both for the theorizing of identity and for those who work and manage in organizations, particularly where the organisational situation is itself dynamic.

Identity Dynamics as a Barrier to Organizational Change

Abstract This article seeks to explore the construction of group and professional identities in situations of organizational change. It considers empirical material drawn from a health demonstration project funded by the Scottish Executive Health Department, and uses insights from this project to discuss issues that arise from identity construction(s) and organizational change. In the course of the project studied here, a new organizational form was developed which involved a network arrangement with a voluntary sector organization and the employment of “lay-workers” in what had traditionally been a professional setting. Our analysis of the way actors made sense of their identities reveals that characterizations of both self and other became barriers to the change process. These identity dynamics were significant in determining the way people interpreted and responded to change within this project and which may relate to other change-oriented situations.

Exploring the complexities of validity claims in action research

Purpose – The paper aims to explore the problematics of validity that are inherent to the conduct of an action research project because of the disparate language games of both practitioners and academics.Design/methodology/approach – An exploration is offered of the tensions between different understandings of a research setting at different stages of the research process.Findings – In each phase of the research there are a number of tensions between different epistemological assumptions about the “reality” of the research setting. Validity is not, therefore, about capturing a singular objective picture of the organisation, but rather it is produced through the negotiation of a temporary intersection of language games.Research limitations/implications – The paper provides a framework for understanding the role of the researcher in the research process and the issues underlying validity claims made from different epistemological positions.Practical implications – The paper provides insights in to the mecha...

Characters in stories of collaboration

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the ways in which narratives of collaborations tagged as successful may be constructed around common characterizations of participants, in order to provide insights to the ways in which stories may be constructed as vehicles for the adoption or adaptation of good or promising practices.Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative interview data from three collaborative situations are analysed through a narrative‐centred procedure with a particular focus on micro‐stories.Findings – The paper provides a set of recurring characterizations observed within narratives of successful collaboration and their employment within the stories offered by collaborating partners. It also suggests the relationship that these characterizations might have to the stimulation or retardation of good collaborative practices.Research limitations/implications – The paper is derived from interviews in the UK context and extrapolation to other contexts seems plausible but should be cond...

Problematizing the role of lay-workers: lessons from a clinical setting

This paper seeks to problematize the role(s) that lay‐workers can play and the nature of their relationship with other, well‐established professional groups. Views are extracted from the literature on how best to manage the introduction of lay‐workers into professional settings and the paper examines the experience of attempting this in national health demonstration project funded by the Scottish Executive Health Department. Whilst the literature argues that the use of lay‐workers will enhance flexibility and challenge some of the bureaucratic/hierarchical problems of traditional organizations, the empirical evidence presented here suggests that phenomena such as hierarchy are persistent and that individual and collective identities are constantly renegotiated in a complex and dynamic process which recreates hierarchy albeit in an unintentional way. This paper offers a series of observations from the project study then generalise in terms of implications for management practice and management theory.

Introduction: Exploring the Impacts and Processes of Identity Change

Introducess the articles in a special issue of the journal focussed around identity processes in changeful situation. The article both summarises the papers within the special issue and develops a framework through which their various contributions, and indeed the field of identity work research more boradly, can be understood.