TY - JOUR
T1 - Story-dismantling, story-meandering, and story-confirming
T2 - Organizational identity work in times of public disgrace
AU - Sörgärde, Nadja
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - This study aims to enhance our understanding of organizational identity work (OIW), building upon previous studies’ emphasis on the usefulness of understanding OIW in terms of storytelling. The paper offers an extended vocabulary for making sense of alternative narration forms. Based on an in-depth study of a humanitarian organization in Sweden, the discursive OIW struggles of employees in times of public disgrace are explored and the following conceptualizations suggested: a) Story-dismantling (attempting to deconstruct a dominant discrediting narrative). b) Story-meandering (attempting to tell a coherent counter-story but without success). c) Story-confirming (claiming that a dominant historical narrative remains valid). These concepts open up and invite considerations of uncertainty, fragmentation, fluidity, and contextuality in future studies of both organizational identity (OI) and OIW.
AB - This study aims to enhance our understanding of organizational identity work (OIW), building upon previous studies’ emphasis on the usefulness of understanding OIW in terms of storytelling. The paper offers an extended vocabulary for making sense of alternative narration forms. Based on an in-depth study of a humanitarian organization in Sweden, the discursive OIW struggles of employees in times of public disgrace are explored and the following conceptualizations suggested: a) Story-dismantling (attempting to deconstruct a dominant discrediting narrative). b) Story-meandering (attempting to tell a coherent counter-story but without success). c) Story-confirming (claiming that a dominant historical narrative remains valid). These concepts open up and invite considerations of uncertainty, fragmentation, fluidity, and contextuality in future studies of both organizational identity (OI) and OIW.
KW - Disgrace
KW - Humanitarian organization
KW - Narrative perspective
KW - Organizational identity
KW - Organizational identity work
KW - Storytelling
U2 - 10.1016/j.scaman.2020.101105
DO - 10.1016/j.scaman.2020.101105
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85087001733
SN - 0956-5221
VL - 36
JO - Scandinavian Journal of Management
JF - Scandinavian Journal of Management
IS - 3
M1 - 101105
ER -