Book Review: Constructing Identity in and around Organizations

constructing_identity_in_and_around_organizationsMajken Schultz, Steve Maguire, Ann Langley, and Haridimos Tsoukas, eds.: Constructing Identity in and around Organizations. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. 329 pp. $99.00, cloth.

Read the review by Kimberly D. Elsbach of the Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Davis, published in Administrative Science Quarterly:

This edited volume challenges existing orthodoxy by defining organizational identity as a ‘‘process’’ rather than a ‘‘state.’’ That is, organizational identity is viewed as the answer to the question ‘‘How are we becoming?’’ instead of the question ‘‘Who are we?’’ This is a frame-breaking perspective and contrasts with traditional views of organizational identity as stable and ‘‘enduring’’ (Albert and Whetten, 1985). At the same time, this perspective fits with the recent work of a cadre of identity scholars who have been treading around the notion of ‘‘identity as process’’ for s55697_ASQ_v58n2_72ppiRGB_150pixWeveral years (e.g., Corley et al., 2006; Ravasi and Schultz, 2006, Gioia et al., 2010). The goal of the volume, then, is to see where this perspective of ‘‘identity as process’’ can take us if we take a forceful and deliberate stance in its support. The result is a set of theoretical and empirical chapters that show us what the future of identity research may hold.

Click here to continue reading; follow this link to see the latest issue of Administrative Science Quarterly and this one to see new articles and reviews in OnlineFirst.

0 0 votes
Article Rating

Business & Management INK

Business and Management INK puts the spotlight on research published in our more than 100 management and business journals. We feature an inside view of the research that’s being published in top-tier SAGE journals by the authors themselves.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x