Identity Under Construction: How Individuals Come to Define Themselves in Organizations

Abstract

Individuals need a situated identity, or a clear sense of “who they are” in their local context, to function. Drawing largely on interpretivist research, we describe the process of identity construction in organizations. Organizations set the stage for members to construct their identities through sensebreaking, rendering individuals more receptive to organizational cues conveyed via sensegiving. Individuals utilize sensemaking to construe their situated identity as they progress toward a desired self. Affect (feeling “this is me”), behavior (acting as “me”), and cognition (thinking “this is me”) are each viable and intertwined gateways to a situated identity that resonates with one's desired self and a given context. Individuals formulate identity narratives that link their past and present to a desired future, providing direction. If their identity enactments and narratives receive social validation, individuals feel more assured, fortifying their emergent identities. The result of these dynamics is a visceral understanding of self in the local context, facilitating adjustment.

Transitioning to nursing practice in Lebanon: Challenges in professional, occupational and cultural identity formation

“…Identity formation is still seen as the fundamental challenge of transitioning from adolescence to adulthood. The construction of identity is central to how individuals define themselves in organizations, [36,37] and the central challenge in enacting multiple identities. [38] Accordingly, theories of identity formation offer considerable theoretical scope for understanding why the transition to nursing practice is so difficult for FYRNs.…”

Teachers' Experiences of Induction: A Narrative Retrospective Inquiry

“…I knew that I could not separate this experience from the context of the school in which they worked. Therefore, it was vital to ask about the context of their experience: administration, colleagues, and physical school structure (Ashforth & Schinoff, 2016). It is in asking about this context that I would be able to situate their work with an induction coach.…”

impact of popular culture on the social identity of young adults: Harry Potter and the search for belonging

“…According to social identity theory (SIT), social categories can be based on collectives or categories that are used by people when they are salient to the individual experience (Ashforth & Schinoff, 2016). While some social identity categories are fixed, such as age or generation for the millennials who grew up with the Harry Potter series, social identity can be useful for looking at the characteristics, expectations, and learning styles of different groups (T. Werth & Werth, 2011).…”

“…Organizations also use social identity to encourage the outcomes they are hoping to achieve (Ashforth & Schinoff, 2016).…”

“…While some identities carry a title or label, even those that do not ,still clearly situate a person in a worldview or the surrounding hierarchy (Ashforth & Schinoff, 2016). Social identity is crafted through an internal discourse, utilizing fantasy and reality to tell a personal story that needs to be examined and understood (Hall, 1996).…”