Employees' experiences of personal and collective work-identity in the context of an organizational change

In the present study we investigated employees' experiences of personal and collective work-identity in the context of an organizational change. Data consisted of semi-structured interviews with employees that will be affected by the change. We conducted a theory-driven thematic analysis based...

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Main Authors: Ola Nordhall, Julia Hörvallius, Mathilda Nedelius, Igor Knez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-03-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1382271/full
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author Ola Nordhall
Julia Hörvallius
Mathilda Nedelius
Igor Knez
author_facet Ola Nordhall
Julia Hörvallius
Mathilda Nedelius
Igor Knez
author_sort Ola Nordhall
collection DOAJ
description In the present study we investigated employees' experiences of personal and collective work-identity in the context of an organizational change. Data consisted of semi-structured interviews with employees that will be affected by the change. We conducted a theory-driven thematic analysis based on four predetermined main themes: personal and collective emotional, and cognitive work-identity. Respondents experienced distinct and unambiguous proudness, bonding, familiarity and missing in their personal emotional work-identity, and quite distinct and unambiguous coherence, reflection, mental time travel, but ambivalent, or even lack of, correspondence in their personal cognitive work-identity. They experienced a mix of distinct and ambiguous organizational proudness, esteem and affective commitment in their collective emotional work-identity. They experienced distinct and unambiguous identification with the organization, but ambivalent assimilation and incorporation of the organization in their collective cognitive work-identity. Such a complexity in the employees' work-identity experiences also indicates complexity in their organizational change reactions.
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spelling doaj-art-77d79af141174bdb96acd8fbb48827432025-08-20T02:57:13ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-03-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.13822711382271Employees' experiences of personal and collective work-identity in the context of an organizational changeOla NordhallJulia HörvalliusMathilda NedeliusIgor KnezIn the present study we investigated employees' experiences of personal and collective work-identity in the context of an organizational change. Data consisted of semi-structured interviews with employees that will be affected by the change. We conducted a theory-driven thematic analysis based on four predetermined main themes: personal and collective emotional, and cognitive work-identity. Respondents experienced distinct and unambiguous proudness, bonding, familiarity and missing in their personal emotional work-identity, and quite distinct and unambiguous coherence, reflection, mental time travel, but ambivalent, or even lack of, correspondence in their personal cognitive work-identity. They experienced a mix of distinct and ambiguous organizational proudness, esteem and affective commitment in their collective emotional work-identity. They experienced distinct and unambiguous identification with the organization, but ambivalent assimilation and incorporation of the organization in their collective cognitive work-identity. Such a complexity in the employees' work-identity experiences also indicates complexity in their organizational change reactions.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1382271/fullpersonal and collective work-identityemotioncognitionorganizational changetheory-driven thematic analysis
spellingShingle Ola Nordhall
Julia Hörvallius
Mathilda Nedelius
Igor Knez
Employees' experiences of personal and collective work-identity in the context of an organizational change
Frontiers in Psychology
personal and collective work-identity
emotion
cognition
organizational change
theory-driven thematic analysis
title Employees' experiences of personal and collective work-identity in the context of an organizational change
title_full Employees' experiences of personal and collective work-identity in the context of an organizational change
title_fullStr Employees' experiences of personal and collective work-identity in the context of an organizational change
title_full_unstemmed Employees' experiences of personal and collective work-identity in the context of an organizational change
title_short Employees' experiences of personal and collective work-identity in the context of an organizational change
title_sort employees experiences of personal and collective work identity in the context of an organizational change
topic personal and collective work-identity
emotion
cognition
organizational change
theory-driven thematic analysis
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1382271/full
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