Categorization and identification: The identity work of ‘business sellers’ on eBay

Abstract

This article aims at gaining a better understanding of how, in a market environment, categorized actors construct their identity in relation to the category to which they are assigned. Drawing on extensive fieldwork conducted at eBay, we consider how the newly categorized 'business sellers' connected eBay's framing of the category (categorical framing) to their subjective interpretations of it (categorical self). We find that business sellers perceived varying levels of discrepancy between categorical framing and categorical self, which led them to engage in processes of identification, identity work and disidentification. Based on our findings, we present a framework relating the level of perceived discrepancies to distinctive paths of identification and we draw implications for understanding the interaction of categorization and identification. The framework highlights how feelings of self-enhancement, injustice and alienation intervene in orienting individuals' paths of identification.

Imagination, Self‐Knowledge, and Poise: Jim March’s Lessons for Leadership

“…Strong leaders engage in ‘identity work’, the process of ‘forming, repairing, maintaining, strengthening, or revising the constructions that are productive of a sense of coherence and distinctiveness’ (Svenningsson and Alvesson, , p. 1165). They adjust their self‐images and work orientations in order to achieve a balance between the ‘self’ and the social expectations related to their role (Curchod et al, ). They listen to others and cultivate the virtues of doubt as a vehicle for change.…”

Going Off Script: How Managers Make Sense of the Ending of Their Careers

“…A number of recent works have identified the various ways in which people undergo identity work as they make sense of tensions in a variety of contexts, including eBay business sellers (Curchod et al, 2014), architects (Vough, 2012), 'real-ale' pubs (Watson and Watson, 2012), entrepreneurial ventures (Phillips et al, 2013), and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) ministers (Creed et al, 2010). Although identity work is an ongoing process, it is 'more necessary, more frequent, and more intense in situations when strains, tensions and surprises are prevalent' (Brown, 2014), such as times of transition (Ibarra, 1999;Ibarra and Barbulescu, 2010).…”

“I Am My Body”. Physical Selves of Police Officers in a Changing Institution

“…Previous research has depicted this identity work as maneuvering in relation to available discourses to revise or maintain selfnarratives (Watson, 2008). Other studies have portrayed it as a process used by individuals to create coherent narratives about who they are within constraining environments (Curchod et al, 2014); when their identity is threatened (Brown and Coupland, 2015;Petriglieri, 2011); or as a coping method to compensate for the stigma attached to their work (Ashforth and Kreiner, 1999;Bittner, 1970;Dick, 2008;Hugues, 1951;Tracy and Scott, 2006).…”