Abstract
The conception of identity as a process is an established perspective within organization studies. The implications of this view, however, have received little concerted attention. For example, the particular processes or mechanisms that are relevant to the social construction of identity within organizations remain unclear. There is also little methodological guidance available within the extant literature for researchers studying such processes. Constructing Identity In and Around Organizations addresses these shortcomings through 12 chapters of theoretical and empirical contributions. This edited collection by Majken Schultz, Steve Maguire, Ann Langley and Haridimos Tsoukas is the second volume in the annual series of Perspectives on Process Organization Studies (PROS). The volume divides into two parts following an introduction; the first effectively explores the processual nature of identity and organizations (Chapters 2–8) and the second advances more general process perspectives (Chapters 9–12).
The first two chapters make good use of questions to challenge and then justify the assumptions of the volume, namely that researchers can study identity as a process. In Chapter 2, Michael Pratt’s informal and insightful analysis considers how researchers should meaningfully discuss identity as a process. Pratt argues persuasively for the importance of a consistent language for process scholars and for the adoption of appropriate verbs such as identity- ‘construction’, ‘play’ or ‘practicing’ because identity itself ‘is not a verb’ (pp. 28–30). There is a small point of distinction between contributors here, as in Chapter 3 Dennis Gioia and Shubha Patvardhan state that identity is a ‘dynamic verb’ (p. 51). Nonetheless, these early chapters lay a strong and much needed foundation for the continued theorization of organizational identity as a process or flow as opposed to the early theorization of identity as a relatively stable, central and enduring ‘attribute’ or ‘feature’ (Albert and Whetten, 1985).
The volume is also successful in its use of empirical investigations to attend to the overlooked mechanisms of identity construction. Chapters 4 and 5 both draw from institutional theory to consider the development and emergence of organizational identity. In Chapter 4, Mary Ann Glynn and Lee Watkiss highlight how organizations draw on cultural resources as building blocks to construct their identity through specific, overlapping mechanisms. In Chapter 5, Jochem Kroezen and Pursey Heugens demonstrate the applicability of Selznick’s old institutionalism for examining the organizational identity processes of microbreweries. They link particular sources to the substance of organizational identity and show how this is an ongoing process. Both sets of authors provide thoughtful examinations of the identity processes and suggest that organizations, though embedded in particular environments, actively select some aspects of their identity. This is particularly valuable as their consideration of the role of organizations themselves sheds light on the human agency inherent within complex identity construction processes.
The shift from organizational to individual identity (as part of a broader collective identity) in Chapters 6 and 7 is a valuable addition to the volume and emphasizes the importance of multiple levels of analysis. Given the significance that organizational scholars have attributed to individual identity (e.g. Alvesson et al., 2008), however, more chapters that address this theme would have been welcomed. James Wertsch, in Chapter 6, considers the role of narratives in exploring the clash between the Estonian and Russian mnemonic culture. With some similarity to the earlier chapter by Glynn and Watkiss, albeit with a very different perspective, Wertsch shows how narrative templates act as cultural instruments used by individuals to make sense of themselves and their world. In Chapter 7, Frank Mueller and Andrea Whittle apply discursive psychology to explore the micro-linguistic tools used by senior banking executives and politicians as part of an inquiry into the banking crisis. The resulting construction of bankers’ professional identities as villain and victim is both intriguing and relevant in light of the financial industry’s current media attention. By demonstrating how individuals shape collective identities, these two chapters highlight the significant value of studies that focus on individuals’ identities from a process perspective.
Chapter 8, which closes part one, maintains a focus on identity whilst introducing a temporal theme, which becomes a focal point in much of part two. The plurality of the volume’s contributions is most visible in Chapters 8, 9 and 10, which creatively and effectively apply different perspectives to explore the role of time in organizational processes. In Chapter 8, James Williams applies the process philosophy of Gilles Deleuze, and in particular his syntheses of time, to an employee’s annual review, to demonstrate that a stable identity is a mere illusion as the past is itself in flux. Chapter 9 uses the Bakhtinian concept of the chronotope, or narrative of time and space, to produce an analysis of the organizing processes within a construction firm. Philippe Lorino and Benoit Tricard show the chronotope to be a versatile and useful concept that can bridge process and narrative approaches. In Chapter 10, Elden Wiebe, Roy Suddaby and William M. Foster challenge many of the conventional interpretations of momentum and offer a re-conceptualization that links momentum to the past, present and future. They make an eloquent and engaging case that incremental and radical change can occur in parallel and that history, much like culture, can be a resource for individuals or organizations. By challenging much of what the current literature takes for granted, these astute contributions proffer new perspectives of processes that are likely to inspire many new avenues of research.
Chapter 11 displays the considerable possibilities for process studies to unravel the underlying mechanisms of organizations and management. In this chapter, Simon Grand and Adrian Ackeret consider the development of management knowledge. The authors monitoring of managers’ real time interactions, or ‘management in action’, within a software engineering company is interesting because of both its novelty and the rich data it generates. Even more impressive, though, is how the researchers explore and explain the recursive relationship between knowledge and knowing through their systematic analysis. The potential of the process perspective to challenge and develop our understanding of core management concepts is evident here.
The concluding chapter (Chapter 12) explicitly explores the research implications of process studies and considers the collected edition’s motif of methodological pluralism. Andrew H. Van de Ven and Harry Sminia explain why there is no single or ‘best’ way to conduct process studies, though some approaches may be more appropriate than others. The authors go on to align types of research questions to certain process perspectives and conceptual explanations. Chapter 12 highlights one of the major strengths of the volume, namely its potential to aid researchers in planning and conducting future research. Indeed, Gioia and Patvardhan (Chapter 2) provide an invaluable consideration of how to study the deep processes of identity construction and outline a range of associated research strategies. Other chapters provide nuanced explanations of specific approaches. For example, Mueller and Whittle (Chapter 7) provide a comprehensive discussion of discursive psychology and present a compelling case for its application and utility in further studies of identity processes. As such, this text is likely to become an essential point of reference for researchers studying process.
The editors have invested significant effort in selecting and organizing this volume and the result is an engaging read, which strengthens the foundations of process organization studies as a distinct and developing field of research. Their text provides a variety of high quality and thoughtful contributions. Each chapter sheds light on different aspects of identity and organizational processes whilst providing and supporting an array of future research possibilities. Constructing Identity In and Around Organizations is a valuable text for scholars and students of identities and organizations.