‘We are this hybrid’: Members’ search for organizational identity in an institutionalized public–private partnership

Abstract

There has been significant scholarly interest in organizational hybridity, the combination of multiple institutional logics in one entity. However, the extant research has mainly studied the implications for organizations and individuals, neglecting the challenges for organizational members as a collective. To mitigate, this article examines how members of a British institutionalized public–private partnership grapple with the question of what their organization may be, highlighting the confusion they are experiencing and their attempts to overcome it. Drawing on the concept of organizational identity (theorized as the outcome of collective sensemaking), the analysis identifies two mechanisms that recursively connect the organization and its members. Relational positioning draws on possible configurations of institutional logics and associated identity resources while discursive framing captures members’ hopes and expectations. The main contribution of this article is a better understanding of collective sensemaking in hybrid organizations in the light of institutional complexity.

Trajectories of Reform: Where (and Who) Are the Public Servants

“…Using the Sociology of Professions to Compare Public Values in Public Administration and Urban Planning Literatures"). There is also organizational identity which refers to how members construct and enact their organization (Reissner 2019). Whether at the individual, professional/occupational, or organizational levels, public servant identities are not fixed.…”

“…Hybridity is generally understood on three scales. The first refers to hybridity on a micro-level and relates to how individuals understand themselves and their identities within organizations (Reissner 2019), as we discussed in the previous section. The second focuses on different types of organizational features, such as government services provided by private or nongovernment bodies (Ugyel 2014).…”

Construction of organizational identity claim and understanding in nonprofits: Evidence from Pakistan's voluntary organizations

“…This inquiry aims to fill several gaps in the literature. Researchers have called in for further research into identity claim and understanding to comprehend the construction of the identity and if one influences the other (Ran & Duimering, ; Ran & Golden, ; Ravasi & Schultz, ; Reissner, ). Further research is suggested to understand how nonprofits construct their identity (Feldner & Fyke, ; Hansen & Milburn, ; Young, ).…”

Public Servants in Reflection

“…(Bourgault and van Dorpe 2013;van Bockel and Noordegraaf 2006). Finally, at a collective level, the term organizational identity refers to "what members perceive, feel and think about their organizations" (Hatch and Schultz 1997, p. 357) (Rondeaux 2006;Skålén 2004) and can be understood as the outcome of collective sensemaking which, once constructed by members, influences how they "enact" their organization and its environment (see Reissner 2019).…”

“…It also contributes to greater institutional complexity prompting more identity work on the part of its members but also making the construction of a coherent organizational identity more challenging. For example, in Reissner's (2019) investigation of the identity of a public-private partnership she detected diverging accounts of the meaning of the partnership, regardless of the position or status of the individual: some were enthusiastic, others skeptical, and still others unsure of what it was or what it meant. Such divergence and incoherence and confusion about organizational identity, she argues, constitute a challenge for creating and sustaining hybrid organizational arrangements.…”