Towards An Understanding of Identity and Technology in the Workplace

2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 167-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mari-Klara Stein ◽  
Robert D Galliers ◽  
M Lynne Markus
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Identity Construction ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Workplace Behavior ◽  
Big 4 ◽  
Role Of It ◽  
Back Office ◽  
Ubiquitous Presence

Despite the ubiquitous presence of information technology (IT) in the workplace and the continued computerization of all kinds of work practices, investigations into how IT artifacts play a role in professional identity construction remain rare. Existing studies tend to emphasize sense-making and discourses around IT. This study attempts to fill some of this gap by offering an empirical investigation of how IT artifacts play a role in professional identity enactment at a back office of a Big 4 accounting firm. Building on the socio-technical school of thought and the concept of self as storied, the paper offers a complementary perspective to existing views on the role of IT in identity formation. Our findings reveal that IT artifacts become part of professional identity performances by acting as landmarks in individuals’ self-narratives around which the self and others are positioned and a preferred professional identity is enacted. The findings also indicate that different types of preferred selves may be expressed in specific patterns of technology use. As such, our study contributes to a better understanding of professional identity construction, workplace behavior and ongoing use or non-use of IT at work.

scholarly journals Professional identity and experience of undergraduate students: an analysis of semantic networks

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luara Carvalho ◽  
Elisa Maria Barbosa de Amorim-Ribeiro ◽  
Marcelo do Vale Cunha ◽  
Luciana Mourão
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
Identity Construction ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Semantic Networks ◽  
Work Experiences ◽  
Undergraduate Studies ◽  
Course Work

AbstractWork experiences during undergraduate studies can be remarkable in the journey of undergraduate students. The objective of this study was to assess, by analyzing semantic networks, the role of work experiences in the meanings those individuals attribute to professional identity. The sample consisted of 2291 students (60% women) divided into three groups: do not work, work in a field related to their course, work in a field not related to their course. The semantic networks of these groups were composed of words uttered from the professional identity prime. We chose to work with the critical network, obtained from the analysis of the incidence-fidelity indexes of the word pairs. The results evidence that work experiences are related to how undergraduate students attribute meaning to professional identity, in such a way that three different networks were formed for these groups. The network of those who work outside their field was the only one that integrated words with negative content, while the semantic networks of those who do not work and those who work in their field, despite containing words that do not always coincide, present a similar macrostructure. We conclude that work experiences play an important role in the meanings that undergraduate students attribute to professional identity. The study innovates by revealing elements of professional-identity construction, besides allowing for reflections on the effects of work experiences during the college period.

Construction of Self and the Other in the Accounts of Polish Travellers to Post-Soviet Countries

2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Horolets
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Identity Construction ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
Cultural Meanings ◽  
Institutional Practices ◽  
Systemic Transformation ◽  
Construction Of Self ◽  
Individual Choices

Travel is one of the important modes of identity construction. It is influenced by individual choices as well as by macro-contexts of institutional practices and changes. Based on the study of the accounts of young middle-class Polish travellers to the former Soviet Union countries, this article attempts to demonstrate the ways in which macro-processes of systemic transformation and European integration affect the identity-building processes. After offering a discussion of the cultural meanings of emphasising the uniqueness of their experience and difference from 'mainstream tourists' by the travellers, the article turns to the interpretation of the role of the encounter with local dwellers as an important identity-formation related experience. The analysis of the acceptance or rejection of food from local dwellers demonstrates the ambiguous attitude of travellers to the local dwellers and attempts to place this ambiguity in the macro-context.

Teacher Identity (Re)Construction within Professional Learning Communities

2021 ◽  
pp. 104-115
Author(s):  
Pinar Kocabas Gedik ◽  
Deniz Ortactepe
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Identity Construction ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
Teacher Narratives ◽  
Spoken Discourse ◽  
Teacher Professional Identity ◽  
Teacher Professional

The research on teacher professional identity mostly focused on the process of teacher professional identity formation, the characteristics of teacher professional identity according to the teachers themselves as well as the researchers, and the representation of professional identity through teacher narratives in written and spoken discourse (Beijaard et al., 2004). However, there is much to explore in teachers' tensions and emotions regarding the issues between teacher cognition, and personal and professional sides of teacher identity (Day & Leitch, 2001). In this chapter, we have reviewed the literature on teacher professional identity in relation to communities of practice, imagined identity, and imagined communities. Various definitions of emotions and tensions as well as their roles in teacher professional identity construction have been presented and relevant studies on teacher identity construction, emotions and tensions have been discussed.

Graduate identity development in South Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 304-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilka Dunne ◽  
Anita Bosch
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
South African ◽  
Financial Institution ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on the misunderstandings that hamper the graduate identity development process of black South African graduates in the first year of work. The authors introduce the role of an independent mediator in supporting identity development in a graduate development programme (GDP). The independent mediator mediates between graduate and manager when misunderstandings occur that inhibit the warranting process during professional identity development. Design/methodology/approach – In seeking to understand the graduate transition from student to professional, the authors used identity studies as the foundation from which to track a group of 21 graduates on a year-long GDP, in a financial institution in Johannesburg, South Africa. A model of emergent graduate identity was utilised to gain insight into the warranting process and associated behaviours that graduates employ in their interactions with others in the workplace. Findings – As warranting is based on people’s own assumptions and beliefs about a particular situation or role, misunderstandings can occur during the warranting process when graduates are determining their professional identity, and managers are either affirming of disaffirming this identity. These misunderstandings were exacerbated by the fact that the graduates were often South African multi-cultural, first-generation professionals who lacked insight into and experience of corporate dynamics, this impacted on how they found their place in the organisation. Both graduates and managers were often not equipped to deal with cultural, racial, and other differences. When the graduate programme manager stepped in to play the additional role of independent mediator, helping to mediate misinterpretations during the identity formation process, the negative impact of misunderstandings was lessened, and graduates transitioned to a professional identity with greater ease. Managers also learned about managing multi-cultural individuals and their own, often limiting, experiences and worldviews. Practical implications – This highlights the value of a third-party intervention in graduate identity transitions, particularly in contexts where the graduate has little or no experience of what it means to be professional, and where managers are not equipped to deal with people who come from backgrounds that differ vastly from their own. Originality/value – The role of a third-party in shaping the identities of graduates during the identity warranting process, referred to as the independent mediator in this paper, has not been presented in research before. Studies of this nature would give us insight into how best to support graduate identity development and improve the design of GDPs.

scholarly journals Becoming a pharmacist: the role of curriculum in professional identity formation

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 00-00 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christy Noble ◽  
Ian Coombes ◽  
Paul Nicholas Shaw ◽  
Lisa M. Nissen ◽  
Alexandra Clavarino
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Professional Identity Formation

Mobile Devices and the Self

2013 ◽  
pp. 150-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Carter ◽  
Varun Grover ◽  
Jason Bennett Thatcher
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Identity Construction ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Social Identities ◽  
The World ◽  
Advance Research ◽  
Role Of It

With increasing ubiquitousness of information technologies (IT), identity issues have begun to attract the attention of IS researchers. While some IS research has examined the interplay between IT and role and social identities, the potential role of IT in shaping personal identities has yet to be considered. To that end, this chapter develops the rationale for talking about IT as a source of identity that transcends the roles individuals perform and the groups they affiliate with. The chapter presents the findings of an exploratory study of 72 young adults’ interactions with their mobile phones, which set out to discover whether individuals’ interactions with IT are a source of personal identity construction. Based on the findings, the authors develop the new concept of mobile phone identity as a product of interacting with mobile phones, and a force affecting the way young adults interact with the world around them. Finally, the chapter suggests potential opportunities for future studies to advance research on IT and identity beyond the context of young adults and mobile phones.

Love is love is love is love: From flaktivism to consumer activism in LGBTQ+ communities

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-137
Author(s):  
Amy M. Corey
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Identity Construction ◽  
Consumer Activism ◽  
Propaganda Model ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Consumption Practices ◽  
History Of ◽  
Key Issues

This article explores the complex intersections of visibility, identity and consumer activism in LGBTQ+ communities. While the purchase of consumer goods may serve important functions for identity construction and increasing awareness, it also raises concerns about commodification and the effectiveness of consumer activism. Beginning with a description of support for LGBTQ+ communities following the massacre at the Pulse nightclub, the discussion moves to a brief history of different modes of consumer activism. Next, Herman and Chomsky’s Propaganda Model (PM) is presented, adapted and then applied to LGBTQ+ consumer activist commodities with a focus on the role of flak. Distinct from other forms of consumer activism, flaktivism refers to the merging of flak with activism. Key issues surrounding identity formation and raising awareness are integrated into questions of LGBTQ+ visibility and the importance of symbolic values generated through consumption practices. The article concludes with a critique of the limitations of flaktivism and calls for the advancement of LGBTQ+ civil and human rights.

scholarly journals Professional identity formation: The experience of regulated pharmacy technicians in Ontario

2019 ◽  
Vol 153 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Gregory ◽  
Zubin Austin
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Semistructured Interview ◽  
Professional Identity Formation ◽  
Dominant Form ◽  
Interview Protocol ◽  
Pharmacy Profession ◽  
Pharmacy Technicians ◽  
Demographic Background

Background: Despite being regulated and spoken about as professionals, there is little formal research examining professional identity formation among regulated pharmacy technicians. Methods: A semistructured interview protocol was generated, based on Holden et al.’s typology of professional identity formation (PIF). Regulated pharmacy technicians in Ontario with a minimum of 2 years’ experience working a minimum of 32 hours/week were recruited to participate. Interviews were transcribed, coded and analyzed based on professional identity formation. Results: A total of 15 regulated pharmacy technicians from southern Ontario participated in this study. Regardless of demographic background, most participants demonstrated identity splinting as the dominant form of professional identity formation. Issues related to social valuing of the role of the technician and environmental opportunities to develop and grow were highlighted as significant barriers. Interpretation: These findings suggest regulated pharmacy technicians have incomplete professional identities due in part to reasons linked to pharmacists and the pharmacy profession. The type of professional identity expressed by participants in this study may limit opportunities for full and optimal expression of their role. Conclusions: Further work is necessary to better understand the professional identity formation of regulated pharmacy technicians, to help support the evolution of this role. Can Pharm J (Ott) 2020;153:xx-xx.

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