Identity at Work: An Enquiry‐based Approach to Therapeutically Inspired Management

• Published date: 01 July 2017
• Author: Nic Beech
• Date: 01 July 2017
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12151

International Journal of Management Reviews, Vol. 19, 357–370 (2017)

DOI: 10.1111/ijmr.12151

Identity at Work: An Enquiry-based

Approach to Therapeutically Inspired

Management

Nic Beech

University of Dundee, Nethergate, Dundee, Scotland DD1 4HN, UK

Email: p.n.h.beech@dundee.ac.uk

Identity studies reveal manyissues and problems for individuals and organizations and

from these I select three topics which connect to management practice: performance

and its barriers; the self and others; and boundaries and transitions. I argue for an

enquiry-based approach to management practice which focuses not on prescriptive

answers buton engaging questions which can draw on theory as a resource and promote

thought-infused action. Because much of the identity literaturewould be sceptical about

normativetheory ‘implications for practice’ tend to be somewhat thin. An enquiry-based

approach removesnormative expectations along with the hierarchical expectation that

theory is first and practice is second. Rather,practice-relevant questions can be refined

and developed throughtheoretical engagement. An enquiry that has practical relevance

is also likely to draw resource from across disciplinary boundaries, and in this case I

draw on ideas from therapeutictheory to challenge and support management practice.

The context of identity problems

at work

This article was developed following an invitation

to produce a dialogue paper for this special issue.

It is not intended to be in dialogue primarily with

the other papers in the special issue, although those

papers played a role in the thinking and are referred

to below, as the introduction discusses the papers in

some depth. Rather, the intention was to produce a

dialogue which engaged with theory and practice.

Therefore, what follows is not a traditional review

but is a thesis, inspired by the theme of the special

issue and the papers in it, and produced as a practice-

oriented piece of theorizing.

The identity literature displays considerable het-

erogeneity (Brown 2015) and influential theoretical

traditions include realist, social constructionist, criti-

cal and post-structural perspectives (see Haslam et al.

2017). Although there are significant paradigmatic

differences within the literature, as Haslam et al.

(2017) argue, there are topics of interest that are

shared across different research traditions. First, iden-

tity can be regarded as dynamic (Coupland and Brown

2012) which is not in itself a problem as dynamics

can relate to learning, behavioural change and joining

identity groups. However, the dynamics also open up

possibilities of status loss, exclusion, insecurity and

reduced self-esteem (Collinson 2003).

Second, the macro socio-economic environment

is one which brings demanding challenges to peo-

ple’s identities at work. Increasing insecurities include

organizational vulnerabilities, for example, through

mergers and cost pressures, and threats to establish-

ing identities through career structures, for example

because of technological change and fragmentation

in organizations (Sveningsson and Alvesson 2003).

Third, in this context of increasing insecurity, at the

level of personal and inter-personal identities, dis-

ruption and struggle are heightened (Beech et al.

2016). Demands for everhigher perfor mance and pro-

ductivity, temporary and potentially conflictual rela-

tionships and continuous change can increase stress

and decrease well-being (Cooper and Marshall 2013).

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