Narratives of Individual and Organizational Identities

This essay reports on a series of empirical studies conducted in public sector organizations in Sweden between 1985 and 1990. The analysis for these studies employs a framework that combines institutional theory with a narrative approach. “Identity” is considered, along with the “market” and the “state,” as a modern institution. The analysis of the ways in which a modern identity is constructed supports the claim that identity has a narrative character. This perspective is then applied to interpretation of developments in public sector organizations, whose identity has been challenged and is currently reformulated.