The Impact of Emotionally Important Social Identities on the Construction of a Managerial Leader Identity: A Challenge for Nurses in the English National Health Service

Abstract

The ability of individuals to accommodate emotional transition into roles requiring the construction of a leader identity is a poorly explored area. In this paper we consider the experience of 32 individuals moving into middle management positions, exploring how an emotional attachment to their professional group identity may cause identity conflict during the construction of a managerial leader identity. We consider how competing desired identities can result in negative emotional experiences, calling into question existing work, which assumes that desired group identities are congruent with leader identities. We suggest that identity work can mitigate identity conflict at the individual level, enabling middle managers to function in their role, but that emotional distress will continue due to a perceived loss of professional identity and group influence. We suggest it is only by eschewing an emotional attachment to a professional group that middle managers will be able to overcome this negative emotional experience.

Role-meanings as a critical factor in understanding doctor managers' identity work and different role identities

“…Consistent with recent research on hybrid roles in healthcare (Croft et al 2015, Mc Givern et al, 2015, our DMs strongly identified with their clinical role. They all described themselves as doctors, typically saying, 'it doesn't matter what you do, above else you are a doctor!'…”

“…Our research integrates knowledge from psychology and organization studies in the 'generative dance' suggested by Currie et al (2012) and contributes to the burgeoning literature on identity work in healthcare professions, considered at a micro-level of practice (Currie et al 2010;Croft et al 2015;McGivern et al 2015).…”

“…On the other hand, when the comparison role is highly prized, not only identification but also engagement with the current role will falter. Hence, role-meaning as a missed dimension in understanding identity work provides a deeper understanding of the basis of positive or negative values upon which the self-categorizations and social psychological processes of doctors in management (Hallier and Forbes, 2005) and also nurse managers (Croft et al, 2015) are manifest. Secondly, our work extends theory on hybrid manager-professionals' identity work by adding to the recent model developed by McGivern et al (2015).…”

“…With this set of role-meanings, clinical management was experienced not only as unpalatable but also stressful arising from instability, role conflict and ambiguity, incompetency, and lack of control. Reluctants tried to escape these pressures by sheltering behind feelings of selfreliance, security, self-confidence, self-efficacy, and belonging to a meaningful group of clinicians, as the following participant notes: "I'm on call twice or three times a week…I haven't stopped being on call because I need it…I need to do medical practice, it gives me the satisfaction and assurance that managerial work doesn't…and if I don't succeed in doing this, I'll return to my clinical position " (P17) This need to undertake clinical work to compensate for the negative emotions that emerged from managing has also been identified in the case of nurses in hybrid positions (Croft et al, 2015) but interestingly role conflict disappeared when clinical work was removed. Analysis of these meanings reveals the importance of previous socialization in a role to enhance "feelings of control".…”

“…in managing you cannot control anything...it's not in our hands…it's stressful…I prefer being two mornings in the operating room, sweating and perspiring ….than having to organize all this chaos! (P12) Thus, the managerial role equates to unpredictability and lack of control, generating feelings of stress and uncertainty (see Croft et al 2015). Relatedly, the boundaries of managing were not clear cut and hence responsibilities could become burdensome, illustrated by:…”