Van Grinsven et al. (2020) Identitites in translation

Question 1

“translation-as-identity-work”

Answer 1

developed to understand how agents construct their identities in relation to a management concept as it is adopted and adapted in an organization.

Question 2

four types of translation-as-identity-work

Answer 2

Externalizing involves constructing the management concept as a tool to be picked up and put down as needed and positioning oneself as an outsider or consultant rather than a key agent in the implementation process.

Professionalizing involves constructing the management concept as a way to enhance one’s professional identity and positioning oneself as an expert in the field.

Rationalizing involves constructing the management concept as a logical and necessary choice for the organization and positioning oneself as a decision-maker who has carefully considered all options.

Proselytizing involves actively promoting and evangelizing the management concept and positioning oneself as a leader or champion of the concept.

Question 3

three attributes of identification that agents use to construct both the management concept and themselves in relation to their organization

Answer 3

• Salience which refers to the ways in which agents enhance or diminish the importance of the concept in relation to the strategic goals of the organization, for example by narrowing or broadening its scope.
• Transience brings a temporal quality to the concept in terms of how it is constructed as short-lived/replaceable or persistent.
• Valence refers to how the agents discursively infuse the concept with an intensity of meaning or emotion.