Managers negotiating identities: Hybridizing professionalism and mangerialism in faith-based health organizations and in religious organizations

Abstract

This thesis focuses on hybrid professional managers’ self-understanding in the context of their everyday work. In particular, I address the following question: In a context of institutional change, how do managers negotiate their professional and managerial identities? Situated within the domain of organization and management studies, this thesis adopts an institutional theory perspective. I study the meeting of professionalism and managerialism as intersecting institutional logics. Logics are “the rules of the game” that guide actions (Thornton, Ocasio, & Lounsbury, 2012). Inside organizations, individuals shape and modify the institutions of profession and management. I study such efforts as institutional work (Lawrence, Suddaby, & Leca, 2009). By drawing on coexisting institutional logics and through empirical description, I aim to develop a theoretical framework that shows how identities are negotiated by managers. To achieve this goal, I investigate a faith-based hospital, and a diocese within the EvangelicalLutheran Church of Norway. Such organizations are considered understudied strongholds of traditions, permeated by ideology and safeguarded by professions (Tracey, Phillips, & Lounsbury, 2014). I use a qualitative research approach and an embedded, multiple case study (Stake, 2013) that provides rich and detailed knowledge of managers in their context.

Paper I: Sirris, S.(2019) Coherent and contextual identities and roles? Hybrid professional managers prioritizing of coexisting institutional logics. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 35(4): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scaman.2019.101063 Paper II: Sirris, S.(2019). “The pastors’ dilemma” revisited. Religious leaders connecting the spiritual and organizational realms through conceptual work. Journal of Management, Spirituality and Religion, 16(3), 290-313. DOI: 10.1080/14766086.2019.1574599 Paper III: Sirris, S. and Byrkjeflot, H. (2019). Realising calling through managers’ identity work. Comparing themes of calling in faith-based and religious organisations. Nordic Journal of Religion and Society, 32(2), 132.147. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18261/issn.1890-7008-2019-02-03