Revitalizing scholarship in identity studies

Abstract

The original call for this special issue on identities and organizations focused on processes and outcomes, both of which deserve more sustained investigation and offer the potential to revitalize scholarship pertaining to identity studies (Ainsworth & Hardy, 2004; Alvesson & Willmott, 2002; Cornelissen, Haslam, & Balmer, 2007). A focus on processes encourages us to return to the original metaphor underpinning social construction and such a move is important for enriching our understanding of identities, organizations and the relationships between them. A focus on outcomes requires us to think concertedly about the relevance of identity and our own research and scholarship in the area — what..