Identity Struggles: Evidence from workplaces around the world (Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society and Culture)

This collection provides a kaleidoscopic view of a range of identity struggles in the workplace context. It features twenty-two case studies that present an eclectic mix of workplaces in different socio-cultural contexts. They include, among others, household workers in Peru and Hong Kong, female professionals in India and the UK, social workers in Botswana and on Canadian reserves, tourist guides in Europe and construction workers in New Zealand. The volume addresses important questions on professional competence, group membership, (sometimes competing) expectations, and identity boundaries. The chapters establish that identity struggles are a reflection of issues of knowledge, competing norms and attempts for social change. Identity Struggles Editorial page Title page LCC data Dedication page Table of contents Acknowledgements Chapter 1. Introduction: A kaleidoscopic view of identity struggles at work Introduction A shared approach, centered around several overarching themes Struggling to construct professional competence Struggling to (de-)construct in-group membership Struggling to combine (sometimes competing) expectations Struggling to define identity boundaries Conceptualising identity A framework to study identity construction Researching identity struggles at work Towards a kaleidoscopic approach to identity References Part I. Struggling to construct professional competence Chapter 2. Coping with uncertainty: Gender and leadership identities in UK corporate life Introduction Women in leadership A case study of Karen: A woman business leader The analysis Denotative analysis Connotative analysis Identity struggles in women’s leadership References Chapter 3. Constructing a “competent” meeting chair: A study of the discourse of meeting chairing in a Hong Kong workplace Introduction Identity construction in Hong Kong workplaces Data Successful construction of a competent meeting chair Negotiating struggles over identity construction Discussion and conclusion Acknowledgements References Appendix Transcription conventions Abbreviations in the glosses Chapter 4. Juggling “I”s and “we”s with “he”s and “she”s: Negotiating novice professional identities in stories of teamwork told in New Zealand job interviews Identity struggles in job interviews Competency-based interviews The graduate recruitment context Theoretical background Data and methodology Analysis Identity Dilemma 1 Identity Dilemma 2 Identity Dilemma 3 Discussion and conclusion Transcription conventions References Chapter 5. Epistemic “Struggles”: When nurses’ expert identity is challenged by “knowledgeable” clients Introduction The roles and identities of nurses Data Establishing and orienting to participants’ epistemic statuses in the process of negotiating each other’s identities Discussion and conclusion Acknowledgement References Chapter 6. Who’s the expert?: Negotiating competence and authority in guided tours Introduction Unpacking the notion of identity Guided tours: “Knowledgeable guide” and “unknowing guided”? Claiming knowledge in first position Claiming knowledge in second position Guided participants responding to the guide’s emerging projections Completion of recognizably “incomplete” turns Early completion in overlap Exploiting ongoing projections: Competing continuations of the guide’s turn Continuing after the end of a sequence initiated by the guide Competing for the right to extend the explanation Discussion and conclusion References Part II. Struggling to (de-)construct in-group membership Chapter 7. You’re a proper tradesman mate: Identity struggles and workplace transitions in New Zealand Professional identities Identity as a site of struggle Exploring authentic interaction Identity struggles at work The apprentice builder From intern to co-worker Professional identity across contexts Acknowledging and maintaining the boundaries Patrolling and defending the boundaries Implications and conclusions Acknowledgements Appendix. Transcription conventions References Chapter 8. Indian women at work: Struggling between visibility and invisibility Introduction The (in)visibility vortex (In)visibility processes from a discursive angle Data description Analysis The invisible woman The (in)visibility dilemma Discussion and conclusion References Chapter 9. The dynamics of identity struggle in interdisciplinary meetings in higher education Introduction Disciplinarity, entitlement and epistemics Data The challenge of hybridity Disciplinary identity and epistemic status Wets and dries The balance of contributions Struggling to be heard Conclusion Acknowledgements References Chapter 10. Laughables as a resource for foregrounding shared knowledge and shared identities in intercultural interactions in Scandinavia Introduction Laughables, identity struggles and co-membership Membership categorisation and epistemics Data Analysis Conclusion Abbreviations References Chapter 11. Workplace conflicts as (re)source for analysing identity struggles in stories told in interviews Introduction Narratives in interviews as resource for identity constructions Data Identity struggles in the workplace Example 1: The struggle with being accepted in the workplace Example 2: The struggle with feeling excluded in the workplace Example 3: The struggle with conforming to the workplace Discussion References Appendix. Transcription conventions Chapter 12. Identities on a learning curve: Female migrant narratives and the construction of identities of (non)participation in Communities of Practice Introduction Method – narrative analysis Data Analysis Leila – a narrative of exclusion Yulia: a narrative of inclusion Discussion and conclusions References Part III. Struggling to combine (sometimes competing) expectations Chapter 13. Managing patients’ expectations in telephone complaints in Scotland Introduction Complaints, consumers and the UK National Health Service (NHS) The NHS complaints process Methods and data Data analysis The moral work required to complain Conflicting agendas for complaint recipients Conversational affiliation Conclusion References Chapter 14. Identity work in nurse-client interactions in selected community hospitals in Kenya Introduction Background of nursing care in Kenya Analytical framework, methodology and data Data analysis and discussion of findings Conclusions References Chapter 15. ‘Even if there were procedures, we will be acting at our own discretion...’: General practitioners’ struggle about identity Introduction Background to Polish family medicine and management of patients with MUS Method and research design Analysis Struggling with emotions: containing negative emotions and uncertainty Balancing patients’ expectations with the professional ethos, impeded by institutional barriers Conclusions References Chapter 16. A kind of work: Narratives from Canadian indigenous women Introduction Indigenous people in Canada The women Borderlessness Balance Binds Concluding remarks References Chapter 17. Adapting self for private and public audiences: The enactment of leadership identity by New Zealand rugby coaches in huddles and interviews Introduction Background: Leadership identity in sports Private and public identity performance in (professional) sport The current study: struggling with interactional settings Data and methodology Findings Differences in leadership tasks Realisation of coaching speech acts: assessments of confidence and performance Realisation of coaching speech acts: criticising acts Discussion Getting it right: adapting speech across the private/public divide Conclusion and implications for leadership research and future research References Chapter 18. “I speak French=eh”: Multilingualism and professional identity struggles in Luxembourg Introduction The sociolinguistic situation of Luxembourg Methods and data Findings Fresh & Fruity InfoTech Discussion and conclusion References Appendix. Transcription conventions Part IV. Struggling to define identity boundaries Chapter 19. The discursive accomplishment of identity during veterinary medical consultations in the UK Introduction Theoretical background Data and analysis Identifying animals Identifying patients Identity struggle Discussion Conclusion Transcription symbols (adapted from Jefferson 2004) References Chapter 20. Embracing a new professional identity: The case of social work in Botswana Introduction Background: A brief history of social work in Botswana Social work in Botswana today Methodology and Data Findings Role conceptualisation Language Cultural norms Authority and collective accountability Conclusion References Chapter 21. Identity and space: Discourse perspectives Introduction: Aims and theoretical framework Space and discourse Identity and organizational space Discourse, space and identity on a new university campus: An exploratory case study Background Discourse about and in space Critical reflections Concluding thoughts References Chapter 22. Household workers’ use of directives to negotiate their professional identity in Lima, Peru Introduction Domestic service in Peru Frames, relational work and directives in discursive negotiations of identity Directives and their strategic employment for identity negotiation in the workplace Data and analysis Address systems as markers of power differences between household workers and employers The household workers’ construction of expertise power employing directives Self-initiated directives Invited directives Conclusion Acknowledgements Appendix. Transcription conventions References Chapter 23. ‘We’re only here to help’: Identity struggles in foreign domestic helper narratives Introduction The study Theoretical and methodological frameworks Data description Data analysis The subservient helper ‘My employer is good!’ Narrative ‘self’ and ‘other’ Servants of God The help Discussion and conclusion Acknowledgements References Appendix. Transcription conventions Chapter 24. Epilogue: Identity struggles as a reflection of knowledge, competing norms, and attempts for social change Introduction Identity struggles related to knowledge Identity struggles related to competing norms Identity struggles as a potential for social change Opening up new avenues for identity research References Index