Figure 2 - uploaded by Thomas Andersson
Content may be subject to copyright.
Context in source publication
Context 1
... difference between identity and culture is thereby a difference in perspective ( Fiol et al., 1998). Identity exists on numerous levels and on each level it is defined in relation to the existing culture or to the social systems of meaning around it, which is illustrated in figure 2.1, where examples of social systems of meaning that could influence the identity process on the individual level or another level are shown. ...
Similar publications
Citations
... A career in an organisation is basically about a change in the relationship between the organisational and the individual initiated by one of the parties (the organisation's needs / the individual's motivations). Careers are manifested in a change in the exchange between the two parties (Andersson, 2005). In many countries, however, these initiatives in the retail sector do not derive from either individuals or organisations. ...
... People voluntarily leave work positions for, among other things, dissatisfaction with their work and with their work relationships, disagreements about goals and values, or the opportunity to find more interesting and rewarding employment elsewhere (Sullivan et al., 1998). People who leave their current positions because they find their values are inconsistent with those of their employers illustrate that careers are integrated with identities, that is, "who I want to be and become at work" (Andersson, 2005). ...
... Sometimes people change jobs because their identity evolves at a different pace and in a different way than that found in their workplace or than that of their employer (Andersson, 2005(Andersson, , 2010(Andersson, , 2012. Identities are thereby related to matching and exchange between the individual and the organisation. ...
A career in retailing is to a large extent a boundaryless career. A career in retail does
not limit the individual to a single organisation, to a single role/position, or to a
hierarchical rung on the organisational ladder. Both co-workers and managers move
quite easily among organisations within the same retail area, between different retail
areas, and in and out of the retail sector.
• In the past, the description of retailing as a transitory employment sector has had a
negative connotation. Yet this description can also have quite a positive connotation.
For example, experience acquired in the retail sector can be very useful in other work
sectors. Moreover, people working in retail are generally motivated by job security, a
job that is possible to combine to leisure/family, and a job close to home. They are
typically much less motivated by traditional career advancement opportunities, the
exercise of power over others, and by the desire to make decisions.
• People working in retail have a rather limited interest in becoming managers in part
because their major work motivators are not the motivators one usually associates with
management career paths.
• Gender is a relatively weak distinguishing variable in terms of retail careers, but there
are some statistically significant – yet small – differences in the work characteristics of
men and women in retail. For example, women in retail prioritize work-life balance,
the proximity of workplace to home, and outside interests more than men in retail.
These priorities have a limiting effect on their opportunities to accept managerial
positions and to follow traditional, upward career paths.
• There are more women than men working in the retail sector today, but a larger
percentage of men in management positions. However, this cannot be explained by
differences between the motivations of men and women to become managers or in
their attitudes towards their own managerial capabilities. The explanation lies in other,
more indirect factors such as the expectations of today’s managers.
• Women generally earn less than men in the retail sector. This inequality is especially
evident when differences in work responsibilities exist (e.g., specialized areas, subbranches,
management tasks).
• There is some general scepticism among employees in the retail sector as far as the
extent to which their employers are willing to commit to their well-being and
development. This finding has important practical implications when employees sense
a lack of employer commitment to them.
• People outside retail sector generally have a more negative picture of the retail sector
than the people within the sector. People in the retail sector are relatively satisfied and
think their work is varied and interesting.
• The number of women at the lower management levels (at the store-level) is
increasing. Because of this trend, which is expected to continue, in the relatively near
future there may be as many female managers as male managers at this level.
However, at the upper management levels in retail, there are more than ten men for
every woman and no indications of change.
• Job security is the most important career anchor for retail employees in Sweden. This
finding has very important practical implications because job security is typically not
associated with employment in the retail sector. It is a factor that can be an important
consideration for retailers.
Career in Swedish retail
... Karriär inom en och samma organisation handlar i grunden om att relationen mellan organisation och individ förändras genom initiativ från någon av parterna (organisationens behov/individens drivkrafter med mera) och att karriären sker genom ett förändrat utbyte mellan de två (Andersson, 2005). I många länder kommer dock inte initiativ till utveckling inom detaljhandeln från varken individ eller organisation, utan snarare handlar det om statliga initiativ för att höja kompetensen i en bransch som präglas av låg kompetens (Davison m.fl., 1998). ...
... Det kan handla om trivsel, arbets uppgifter, arbetsrelationer, upplevelsen att det föreligger mer intressanta utvecklings möjligheter på annat håll, att värderingarna inom företaget inte stämmer särskilt väl med medarbetarens egna värderingar (Sullivan m.fl., 1998). Att arbete stämmer överens med ens egna personliga värderingar visar att karriär är integrerat med identitet i arbetslivet, det vill säga beskrivningen av vem jag är och vill vara i arbetslivet (Andersson, 2005). Kopplingen mellan identitet och karriär har i tidigare forskning framförallt gjorts via begreppet karriärankare, som i korthet handlar om vad medarbetare anser är viktigt i ett arbete (Schein, 1993(Schein, , 1996. ...
... Ibland kan ett byte av arbetsgivare vara en följd av att medarbetarens identitet utvecklats i annan takt än arbetsplatsens eller arbetsgivarens (Andersson, 2005;2012). Identitet leder oss därmed in på matchningen och utbytet mellan individ och organisation. ...
... Several scholars discuss identity and identity work in different contexts, both for managers and leaders. Some examples are: Andersson (2005), observing experiences from management training, Lahdesmaki (2012) looking at manager identity construction in the context of a Corporate Social Responsibility discourse, and Alvesson and Lundholm (2014) discussing HR-managers' identity. They, like me, focus on the managers' identity. ...
... For the Airis managers, activities like Airis have influenced their experiences at work (mostly positive) and hence even the identity-related dimensions. The fact that events may influence identity work is confirmed by Andersson (2005), "it is suggested that certain specific events or encounters can compel people on more 'serious' identity work". In other words, people can be seen to engage in more conscious and concentrated identity work "when the routinized reproduction of a self-identity in a stable setting is discontinued" (Alvesson et al., 2008:15). ...
Many scholars discuss how experiences from work are an important source for the construction of the personal identity. In this paper the various contextual dimensions at work that influence identity construction, are discussed. The empirical data consists of interviews with 33 Swedish managers with experiences in bringing arts into business. These, so called artistic interventions, are a growing phenomenon mainly initiated by managers. The findings are twofold: First to identify and describe a typology of five identity-related dimensions in the work context (built on Zambrell, 2004), dimensions that emerge in managers’ expressed experiences, both from work in general and from the artistic intervention. In particular, among these managers a touching dimension emerges, i.e. experiencing honest appreciation and trust at work, which touches the inner self. Second, to discuss artistic interventions as triggers for identity work. Since interventions with arts are non-traditional projects, they challenge the participants’ identity construction, especially the identities of the managers that introduce such different activities. The awareness of identity-related dimensions is important for understanding work experiences and its influence on identity. It is especially important for managers, who may influence the identity-related dimensions through organizing work and shaping its conditions.
... Physicians who are managers, typically participate in different "levels" of management discourses and different levels of professional discourses (Doolin, 2002;Pratt et al., 2006), etc. Some professional discourses co-exist harmoniously with management discourses, while others directly conflict (Andersson, 2005). In their identity processes, therefore, physicians who are managers must adjust to shifting contexts even as they try to maintain different -and occasionally conflicting -commitments (Andersson, 2012). ...
Purpose:
The purpose of this article is to describe and analyse the identity challenges that physicians with medical leadership positions face.
Design/methodology/approach:
Four qualitative case studies were performed to address the fact that identity is processual, relational and situational. Physicians with managerial roles were interviewed, as well as their peers, supervisors and subordinates. Furthermore, observations were made to understand how different identities are displayed in action.
Findings:
This study illustrates that medical leadership implies identity struggles when physicians have manager positions, because of the different characteristics of the social identities of managers and physicians. Major differences are related between physicians as autonomous individuals in a system and managers as subordinates to the organizational system. There are psychological mechanisms that evoke the physician identity more often than the managerial identity among physicians who are managers, which explains why physicians who are managers tend to remain foremost physicians.
Research limitations/implications:
The implications of the findings, that there are major identity challenges by being both a physician and manager, suggest that managerial physicians might not be the best prerequisite for medical leadership, but instead, cooperative relationships between physicians and non-physician managers might be a less difficult way to support medical leadership.
Practical implications:
Acknowledging and addressing identity challenges can be important both in creating structures in organizations and designing the training for managers in healthcare (both physicians and non-physicians) to support medical leadership.
Originality/value:
Medical leadership is most often related to organizational structure and/or leadership skills, but this paper discusses identity requirements and challenges related to medical leadership.
... Tvärtom visar svårigheterna med att införa och vidmakthålla välfungerande chefslösa arbetsgrupper på att det finns behov av formella ledare. Även om det finns många exempel på organisationer som domineras av starka professioner som arbetar självständigt och oberoende, såsom advokater (Winroth 1999) veterinärer (Andersson 2005) och universitetslärare (Tengblad m.fl. 2007), så ser vi flera nackdelar med detta. ...
... Vad man missade var att ledarskap inte är några personliga egenskaper eller ens en roll -ledarskap är i stället en social process där chefen visserligen normalt har huvudrollen, men det är inte frågan om någon enmansteater. Genomslaget för ledarskapsdiskursen ledde till att helt vanliga chefer med administrativ läggning började framhålla i intervjuer: "Jag vill inte se mig som chef utan som ledare" (Andersson 2005). Chefskap började ses som något fult, något som ingen chef egentli-gen borde syssla med. ...
... Ledare och ledarskap har till följd av särkopplingen mellan chefskap och ledarskap blivit i huvudsak diskursiva begrepp. Ledarskap blir något som chefer endast säger sig utöva och blir en viktig del av chefers identitetsarbete snarare än något som chefer faktiskt "gör" (Alvesson 2006, Andersson 2005, Sveningsson & Larsson 2006. Vissa forskare, såsom Alvesson och Sveningsson (2003), hävdar därför att ledarskap som fenomen kanske inte ens existerar "bortom diskursen", åtminstone inte som vardagligt chefsbeteende (se även kapitel 2 i denna bok). ...
... Managers' work identity development is dependent on their interaction with the organization [21]. Andersson (2005) describes the struggle between "being you" and being a "representative role model" as a manager within the organization. He states that the manager's work identity cannot be seen without this ongoing process. ...
... He states that the manager's work identity cannot be seen without this ongoing process. It is a part of the whole [22]. ...
Over the last decade healthcare management and managers have increasingly been in focus in public debate. The purpose of the present study was to gain a deeper understanding of how prolonged, unfavorable media focus can influence both the individual as a person and his or her managerial practice in the healthcare organization.
In-depth interviews (n = 49) with 24 managers and their superiors, or subordinate human resources/information professionals, and partners were analyzed using a grounded theory approach.
The conceptual model explains how perceived uncertainties related to the managerial role influence personification and its negative consequences. The role ambiguities comprised challenges regarding the separation of individual identity from the professional function, the interaction with intra-organizational support and political play, and the understanding and acceptance of roles in society. A higher degree of uncertainty in role ambiguity increased both personification and the personal reaction to intense media pressure. Three types of reactions were related to the feeling of being infringed: avoidance and narrow-mindedness; being hard on self, on subordinates, and/or family members; and resignation and dejection. The results are discussed so as to elucidate the importance of support from others within the organization when under media scrutiny.
The degree of personification seems to determine the personal consequences as well as the consequences for their managerial practice. Organizational support for managers appearing in the media would probably be beneficial for both the manager and the organization.
... We suspect that the larger the organization, the more structured and stable is the socialization process (e.g., Ashforth et al., 1998;Jones, 1986). We also suspect that, given the institutionalized role expectations of supervisors (e.g., Andersson, 2005), a newcomer who is also a supervisor will tend to strive to represent and therefore experience stronger adjustment to the organization. ...
... The term "identity", however, is not commonly used in such training. Instead, terms such as personal growth, personal development, self-knowledge and authentic selves are used (Conger, 1993a;Luo, 2002;Andersson, 2005;Goffee and Jones, 2005). In this article, I use the term "personal development training" as the umbrella name for such training. ...
... Doolin, 2002;Pratt et al., 2006). Some professional discourses co-exist harmoniously with management discourses, while others directly conflict (Andersson, 2005). In their identity processes, therefore, managers must adjust to shifting contexts even as they try to maintain different -and occasionally conflicting -commitments (Andersson and Wickelgren, 2009). ...
Purpose
The article aims to analyze how personal development training influences managers' identity processes.
Design/methodology/approach
The article, taking an interpretive‐critical approach, is based on a qualitative, longitudinal study of five participants (managers) in a personal development training program. During the two years of research, 62 interviews (with the managers and related personnel) were conducted and 13 observations were made.
Findings
Personal development training provokes identity regulation by prescribing a normative identity process that claims managers should engage in a process of reflection in order to gain self‐awareness. Such training constitutes a local management discourse that may influence different levels of identity work and identity regulation processes depending on the participants' expectations, their organizations and professional situations, their level of insecurity, as well as their previous experience with management discourse.
Practical implications
Since management training influences participants' identity processes, program organizers, purchasers and participants should be wary of the expectation that management training will deliver content as “a package” of managerial skills.
Originality/value
The study challenges the traditional view of management training as a provider of skills and solutions for managers by focusing instead on its influence on managers' processes of identity work and identity regulation. Management training in general is claimed to regulate identities and direct identity work by providing inspirational identities. However, this study finds that personal development training regulates identities by prescribing the identity process in itself.
... Quinn et al., 2003). This understanding is represented in management training, as it implies that management is something that can be "learned" through courses and training (Andersson, 2005). However, when managers describe how they "learned" to be managers, they seem often to be dismissive of programmes, courses and books concerning the subject (Watson and Harris, 1999). ...
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the struggles of managerial identity in relation to the process of becoming/being a manager, and the personal conflicts involved within this process.
Design/methodology/approach
In a qualitative, longitudinal project, five managers were studied for two years using interviews and observations. This was undertaken before, during, and after their participation in personal development training. In total, 62 interviews and eight half‐day observations were conducted.
Findings
The study puts emphasis on the role of management training in providing templates for “how to be a manager”, but it also illustrates the double‐edged and complex role played by context in managerial being and becoming. On the one hand context shapes managerial identity; on the other hand, context might operate to dilute the identity an individual manager wishes to assume.
Research limitations/implications
The study focuses on only five managers in two organizations. This small sample limits the generalisabilty of the research.
Practical implications
Management training tends to be based on the idea that management concerns the acquisition of competencies, techniques and personal awareness, while managerial practice is more fluid and contextually based. There is a challenge for organizers of all types of management training to bridge the gap between a fixed idea of what it is to be a manager and how management is actually practised.
Originality/value
The longitudinal and in‐depth qualitative approach facilitates an important contribution to understanding issues in developing a managerial identity.
... To be approached frequently as a manager and taking part in managerial discourses makes it easier to develop a managerial identity (Andersson, 2005). Group leaders have been socialized into a strong police identity and when facing complexity most of them rely on the identity that they know well: that of being an officer. ...
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how new public management (NPM) reform from the national level is implemented as practice in a local unit within the police sector in Sweden.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative case‐study approach is applied using semi‐structured interviews, participant observations and analysis of documents.
Findings
The paper illustrates different kinds of resistance at the organizational level. The dominant form of resistance was found to be cultural distancing. The paper demonstrates a tendency among police officers to deal with a changing and more complex work context by embracing a traditional work role.
Research limitations/implications
The paper shows that reforms that add complexity may fail because of potential contradictions and the limited capacity and motivation of employees to deal with the complexity in the manner prescribed by NPM.
Practical implications
The paper shows that the popular trend to adopt multi‐dimensional forms of control (for instance the balanced‐scorecard approach) may fail if there is a lack of consensus about what goals and measurement are important and/or there is a lack of dialogue about how the new goals should be implemented in practice.
Originality/value
Research about NPM‐reforms in the police sector is rare. The original contribution of this paper is to study NPM‐reforms with a focus on the role of complexity in relation to resistance.
