Understanding Identity and Organizations

Andrea Whittle (BSc(Hons), PhD) is Professor of Management and Organization Studies at Newcastle University Business School. Before joining Newcastle University in 2013, she held a Chair in Organization Studies at Cardiff University. Andrea holds a first class honours degree in Natural Science from Durham University and gained her PhD in Sociology from Brunel University at the Centre for Research into Innovation, Culture and Technology (CRICT). After an ESRC funded post-doctoral research fellowship at Said Business School, University of Oxford, Andrea joined Cardiff University in 2004. Her research is driven by a passion for understanding the role of language in management settings and is informed by theories and methodologies from the fields of discourse analysis, narrative, discursive psychology, ethnography, ethnomethodology and conversation analysis. She has conducted research on management consultants, identity, branding, organizational change, technology and strategy. Her research has been published in leading journals, including Organization Studies, Human Relations, Management Communication Quarterly and Organization. She has also co-authored a SAGE textbook, with Kate Kenny and Hugh Willmott (2011) Understanding Identity and Organizations.

′As it elicited many thought provoking moments, before I was halfway through this book I had recommened it to a Masters degree student writing their dissertation (they reported it was fascinating) and used a variety of concepts in sessions (e.g organisational culture / leadership) facilitated in my role as a Staff Development Adviser...I would have no hesitation in endorsing this lively yet solid text to FE and HE students′ John TrantomAction Learning: Research & Practice ′Identity is an extremely popular, but frequently misunderstood and misrepresented, concept in organization studies. This fantastic book is a much needed and timely antidote to this problem. It provides a thoughtful, accessible and thorough treatment of the phenomenon. It is an absolute "must read" for anyone who professes to be interested in studying or researching identity and organization′sProfessor Cliff OswickProfessor in Organization Theory, Head of the Faculty of Management, Cass Business School, City University ′Organizations are not just places we go to make money, but places where we make ourselves too. This helpful book explores the ways in which identities are worked upon, and show how many of our ideas about "who we are" emerge from our lives at work′Professor Martin ParkerWarwick Business School ′I am impressed by this accessible and thoroughly scholarly text. It introduces students to highly complex theoretical ideas in a way that is immediately relevant to everyday organizational life. I look forward to teaching with this book′Professor Samantha WarrenUniversity of Essex ′Understanding Identity and Organizations maps the territory laid out by identity research as it applies to organizations and points to new areas of interest and concern. An essential guide for those entering the field of organizational identity studies as well as providing an overview of the field for seasoned identity researchers′Mary Jo HatchProfessor Emerita of Banking and Commerce, University of Virginia ′Understanding Identity and Organization gives us for the first time a complete and sophisticated overview of the key topics and debates around identity at work. In a lively, accessible and always scholarly fashion, the authors have captured the fundamental importance of this often neglected aspect of employment. It is essential reading for anyone studying organizations today′Professor Peter FlemingQueen Mary College, University of London

• Introduction to Understanding IdentityIntroduction Identity vs Personality Identity on the Management Agenda: A Brief History How Do Individual and Organizational Identities Interact? Introducing the Book Suggested ReadingTheoretical Perspectives on IdentityIntroduction Social Identity Theory (SIT) Psychoanalysis Foucauldian Perspective Symbolic Interactionism Narrative Approaches Micro-Interactional Approaches Application Exercise - The Case of Frances Conclusion Suggested Reading Sample Exam/Assignment QuestionsDiversity and IdentityIntroduction Identity as a Social Category Identity as a Process of Social Construction Conclusion Suggested Reading Sample Exam/Assignment QuestionsOccupational IdentitiesIntroduction The Meaning of Work Occupational Cultures and Boundaries Managerial Identities Professional Identities The Dirty, the Deviant and the Degrading Unpaid Work and Unemployment When I Grow Up I Want To Be …ConclusionSuggested ReadingSample Exam/Assignment QuestionsIdentity and Organizational ControlOverview and Introduction Bringing Identity to Work Managing Culture Managing Identities Identification and Dis-identificationConclusionSuggested Reading Sample Exam/Assignment QuestionsOrganizational IdentityIntroduction Organizational Identity: What Is It and Why Does It Matter? Organizational Identity - Properties or Beliefs? Types of Organizational Identity Power in (and of) Organizational Identity Conclusion Suggested Reading Sample Exam/Assignment QuestionsVirtual IdentityOverview and Introduction Competing Perspectives: Technological Determinism and Social Constructionism New Connections and Identity: Online Communities Virtual Identity, Power and Control Teleworking and Identity Conclusion Suggested Reading Sample Exam/Assignment QuestionsThe Future of IdentityIntroduction Strong Attachments and Totalizing Workplaces? Weak Attachments and the ′Flexible′ Firm New Public Management Identity and the Global, Virtual Firm The Future of Diversity ConclusionSuggested Reading Glossary of Terms