Studying scholar-practitioner via an agile literature review on social identity theory

Working paper: jh-2021-03-10-a  (https://josephho33.blogspot.com/2021/03/studying-scholar-practitioner-via-agile.html)

Studying scholar-practitioner via an agile literature review on social identity theory

 JOSEPH KIM-KEUNG HO

Independent Trainer

Hong Kong, China

Dated: March 10, 2021

Abstract: The agile literature review method is useful for intellectual learning and research investigation on academic research topics. In this article, it is employed to study the social identity theory with a view to enrich comprehension on the research theme of scholar-practitioner in business management as proposed by Ho (2014; 2015). This article demonstrates how the agile literature review method is done. As such it informs how this method is to be used by busy managers for their intellectual learning as it is in sync with their busy pace of life.

Key words: agile literature review, social identity theory, the model of scholar-practitioner in business management.

 

Introduction

Literature review is well recognized as a learning method to reflect and enhance knowledge on academic themes. It can be done in different ways to serve different literature review purposes under different situational constraints. This article makes use of an agile literature review approach to learn how to enhance knowledge on the research theme of scholar-practitioner in business management as propounded by Ho (2014; 2015). The literature review exercise in this case is on social identity theory.

An agile literature review on social identity theory

An agile literature review exercise was carried out on social identity theory with a view to learn useful ideas to refine knowledge on the research topic of scholar-practitioner in business management put forwarded by Ho (2014; 2015). The literature review exercise is agile (i.e. nimble, evolutionary and responsive). The duration of it is 2 days, from March 8 to 9, 2021. Literature search was done on Google Scholar and two U.K. e-libraries. The findings from this exercise are presented in Table 1, with academic ideas grouped into three categories.

 

Table 1:  A set of gathered academic ideas related to social identity theory, grouped in three categories

Categories	Academic ideas
Category 1 [idea 1.1]: basic ideas of social identity theory	“Social identity theory (SIT) explains relations between large social groups using psychological processes concerning social identity—an individual’s sense of belonging to a group and the positive or negative feelings associated with that membership. The theory has become an umbrella term for a set of more specific theories of intergroup behaviour” (Harwood, 2020).
Category 1 [idea 1.2]: basic ideas of social identity theory	“The theory originated in studies using the “minimal group paradigm” in the early 1970s (Tajfel, Billig, Bundy, & Flament, 1971).These studies demonstrated people’s apparently inherent desire to distinguish themselves from others based on group memberships, and their willingness to sacrifice absolute levels of rewards to maintain relative superiority over members of other groups” (Harwood, 2020).
Category 1 [idea 1.3]: basic ideas of social identity theory	“The key premise to SIT is that it foregrounds the importance of group belongingness as a consequence of the interpersonal–intergroup continuum as identified by Tajfel, with the focus being in-group behaviour and self-categorization within the group, unlike the more traditional lens that looks at individual behaviour analysis” (Willetts and Clarke, 2014}.
Category 1 [idea 1.4]: basic ideas of social identity theory	“The goal of social identity theory is to explain group processes, inter-group relations, and the social self. The basic idea of social identity theory is that a person forms a unique personal identity as an individual and develops a social identity based on the groups to which he or she belongs (Tajfel 1982). It is a theory that bridges the gap between the psychology perspective of individual values and behavior and the sociology perspective of group behaviour” (Pearce II, 2013).
Category 1 [idea 1.5]: basic ideas of social identity theory	“SIT [social identity theory] principles propose that (1) people strive to maintain or enhance their positive self-esteem and self-concept; (2) part of an individual’s self-concept—the social identity—is associated with the groups to which one belongs, and is evaluated based upon the valuations of those groups; and (3) evaluations of the group to which one belongs is in reference to other specific groups in terms of value-laden characteristics and attributes. (Tajfel & Turner, 1979, p. 40). Identity models often add other attitudes, values, and emotions to these core principles (Ashforth et al., 2008; Ellemers & Haslam, 2011; Hogg & Terry, 2000; Ng & Lai, 2011; Tajfel, 1981)” (Peterson and Stewart, 2020).
Category 1 [idea 1.6]: basic ideas of social identity theory	“Above all else, the social identity tradition is based on an insistence that human social action needs to be understood in its social context. Action is a function of context because the operation of psychological processes depends on social parameters” (Reicher, 2004).
Category 1 [idea 1.7]: basic ideas of social identity theory	“Social identity theory (SIT) is a theoretical framework through which scholars seek to understand how people choose social groups and how they represent the social norms of their chosen group(s) (Hogg and Reid 2006). SIT is situated within social psychology as the foundation of many social cognitive theories aimed at describing identity formation, self-concept, group processes, and intergroup relations (Hogg 2006; Tajfel and Turner 1979; Turner et al. 1987)” (Whitaker, 2020).
Category 1 [idea 1.8]: basic ideas of social identity theory	“The original core question of SIT investigates when members of a social group with low structural power act collectively in order to challenge and change a social system that disadvantages them. Tajfel viewed social identity as “[…] that part of an individual’s self-concept which derives from his knowledge of his membership of a social group together with the value and emotional significance attached to that membership” (Tajfel, 1978, p. 63)” (Schulte, Bamberg, Rees, and Rollin, 2020).
Category 2 [idea 2.1]: Ingredient theories on social identity theory	“People may adopt a social mobility strategy, essentially “leaving” one ingroup for a different, more socially valued group. Such behavior is likely when group members have little sense of identification with their group, when boundaries between groups are permeable (it is relatively easy for a person to “move” from one group to another, unconstrained by visible or other signs of group membership), and when the intergroup hierarchy is viewed as relatively stable and legitimate (i.e., change in the ingroup’s marginalized position is unlikely)” (Harwood, 2020).
Category 2 [idea 2.2]: Ingredient theories on social identity theory	“Social identity theory and self-categorisation theory posit that individuals form social identities and categorise themselves as members of in-groups and out-groups in order to derive self-esteem from intergroup comparisons and to reduce uncertainty in decision-making (Hogg and Terry, 2000; Smidts et al., 2001). While organisational identification refers to the psychological merging of the organisation and the individual, professional identification is the extent to which an individual perceives oneness with his profession and with the prototypical characteristics ascribed to professionals in the field (Ashforth and Mael, 1989; Van Maanen and Barley, 1984; Vough, 2012)” (Hiller, Mahlendorf and Weber, 2014).
Category 2 [idea 2.3] Ingredient theories on social identity theory	“The idea of identity salience …. was developed in identity theory and when applied to the social identity framework focuses on the salience of social identities rather than individual identities. The salience of a particular social identity is dependent on the group context. Individuals perform the social identity most relevant to their perception of the social setting” (Willetts and Clarke, 2014).
Category 2 [idea 2.4]: Ingredient theories on social identity theory	“Nested identities are those that are ‘attached to formal social categories’ as in organizational structures, formal roles and jobs, and formalized workgroups. Nested identities can be classified into higher order identities and lower-order identities. …  Both higher- and lower-order identities have significant impact on social identities and are particularly important in relation to understanding identity within organizational social categories” (Willetts and Clarke, 2014).
Category 2 [idea 2.5]: Ingredient theories on social identity theory	“Cross-cutting identities is a concept usually applied in organizational contexts, but the concept is equally relevant to professional contexts. Crosscutting identities are ‘attached to social categories and can be either formal or informal’.17 Social categories can be defined as ‘prototypical characteristics abstracted from the members’.25 An example of a formal cross-cutting identity might include membership of a committee; informal cross-cutting identity refers to friendship groups or cliques” (Willetts and Clarke, 2014).
Category 2 [idea 2.6]: Ingredient theories on social identity theory	“Although SIT [social identity theory] (Tajfel & Turner, 1979) and cognitive theories of self (Markus, 1977) emerged separately, both treat the self-concept as including a person’s relationship with groups (Ramarajan, 2014; Smith, 2011)” (Peterson and Stewart, 2020).
Category 2 [idea 2.7]: Ingredient theories on social identity theory	“Following Tajfel’s (1978) definition, social identity has most frequently been conceptualised according to three components; namely, the cognitive component (the knowledge of being a member of a group), the evaluative component (the value associated with the membership of a social group) and the affective component (the emotional significance associated with a group membership)” (Schmidts, 2013).
Category 2 [idea 2.8]: Ingredient theories on social identity theory	“The notion of social identity that reflects ‘individual’s self-concept’ (Tajfel, 1978, cited in Greene, 2004, p. 137) based on ‘self-perceived membership’ in a group (Greene, 2004, p. 137) does not address the question of the source of ‘self perceived membership’. Why does an individual perceive membership in a group? The theory does not explain the factor that induces an individual to identify his or her membership with a group as a natural member, if what one thinks of oneself is affected by one’s perceived membership in a group and what influences one’s knowledge about one’s membership in a group?” (Samson, 2019).
Category 2 [idea 2.9]: Ingredient theories on social identity theory	“Identities are multifaceted and entail individual, interpersonal, and social processes embedded within social structures. Social psychologists from both sociology and psychology have developed robust theories of identity and related research programs. Two central research programs are identity theory (IT, sociology) and social identity theory (SIT, psychology). Identity theory explicates how individuals organize identity meanings, enact them in social situations, and respond to identity relevant feedback (Burke and Stets 2009; McCall and Simmons 1966; Stets and Serpe 2013; Stryker and Burke 2000). Social identity theory is concerned with identity processes through inter- and intragroup dynamics (Abrams and Hogg 2004, 2006; Hogg 2018; Hogg and Ridgeway 2003; Turner et al. 1987)” (Davis, Love and Fares, 2019).
Category 2 [idea 2.10]: Ingredient theories on social identity theory	“From an identity theory (IT) perspective, identities are internalized meanings attached to the self as a unique person, an occupant of a role, and/or as a member of a group (Burke and Stets 2009; Stets and Burke 2014a; Stets and Serpe 2013). Person, role, and group/social constitute three bases of identity. Group and social represent two parts of the same base, broadly conceived as categorical membership. While group identity refers to membership in a community of specific others (e.g., family, school, political organization), social identity refers to status categories that denote one’s position within the broader social structure (e.g., race, gender, age)” (Davis, Love and Fares, 2019).
Category 2 [idea 2.11]: Ingredient theories on social identity theory	“Individuals seek to verify identity meanings through interaction. The identity verification process has four main components that operate in a cybernetic feedback loop (Burke 1991): the identity standard, perceptual inputs, a comparator, and behavioral outputs (Burke and Stets 2009)” (Davis, Love and Fares, 2019).
Category 2 idea 2.12]: Ingredient theories on social identity theory	“Social categorization theory explicates the cognitive processes that facilitate how people construct their social identities—an “individual’s knowledge that he belongs to certain social groups, together with some emotional and value significance to him of this group membership” (Tajfel 1972, p. 292). It explains how one uses their own frames of reference to describe and label groups of people according to shared patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior (i.e. group norms). What people do and say within a group communicates information about norms and is itself configured by the norms (Hogg and Tindale 2005)” (Whitaker, 2020).
Category 2 [idea 2.13]: Ingredient theories on social identity theory	““Social identity theories of intergroup behavior explain how people utilize group norms to assess others’ similarity and difference to themselves. Individuals whose attributes align with the most important and/or most salient group norms are classified as in-group, while those whose attributes deviate are deemed out-group” (Whitaker, 2020).
Category 2 [idea 2.14]: Ingredient theories on social identity theory	“The individual's social identity may be derived not only from the organization, but also from his or her work group, department, union, lunch group, age cohort, fast-track group, and so on” (BAshforth and Mael, 1989).
Category 3 [idea 3.1]: Applications of social identity theory	“Hogg and Terry (2001a) note in their book Social Identity Processes in Organizational Contexts that organizational psychologists have found Social Identity Theory quite useful in explaining a number of relevant variables. Others have noted, ‘‘over the last five years or so, social identity researchers have increasingly applied social identity principles to organizational contexts . . . ’’ (van Knippenberg & Hogg, 2001, p. 185)” (Scott, 2007).”
Category 3 [idea 3.2]: Applications of social identity theory	“As Hogg and Terry (2001b) explain, at the heart of SIT are two underlying sociocognitive processes: categorization (which helps distinguish group boundaries and membership) and self-enhancement (where comparisons between salient groups serve to enhance the self by favoring one’s own ingroup). One’s organizational membership creates a very important social identity for many individuals” (Scott, 2007).
Category 3 [idea 3.3]: Applications of social identity theory	“We build on social identity theory (Ashforth and Mael, 1989; Ashforth et al., 2008) and self categorisation theory (Hogg and Terry, 2000; Tajfel and Turner, 1986) to develop theoretical predictions about the ways in which identification mediates the relationship between management accountants’ perception of their occupational prestige and organisational–professional conflict” (Hiller, Mahlendorf and Weber, 2014).
Category 3 [idea 3.4]: Applications of social identity theory	“SIT [social identity theory] espouses that individuals’ sense of self-worth is reflected in their evaluation of the groups to which they belong. In addition to this, evaluation of the individual’s level of respect within the group, rather than evaluation of the group as a whole, has an effect on the individual’s self-esteem” (Willetts and Clarke, 2014).
Category 3 [idea 3.5]: Applications of social identity theory	“Social identity theory posits that individuals’ values are formed in part by the groups to which the individuals perceive themselves as belonging. For example, an employee’s view of ethics in a business environment is an interactive composite of his or her personal values, the values of his or her influence groups, and the values espoused by the executives and senior managers of the organization for which he or she works as an employee” (Pearce II, 2013).
Category 3 [idea 3.6]: Applications of social identity theory	“.. Organization scholars use identity theories to analyze both how managers shape an organization’s identity (organization identity) and how members incorporate an organization into their personal identities (OI) (Dutton et al., 1994; He & Brown, 2013)” (Peterson and Stewart,  2020).
Category 3 [idea 3.7]: Applications of social identity theory	“Through storytelling, we bind our personal selves to the various groups that give us definition, tie our individual experience with those of important others, and connect our present to our past and to our future (Smith et al., 2017). Life narrative is central to how we perceive our world (McAdams & McLean, 2013). My own identity is based on a personal story of scholarly pursuits and imagined accomplishments that cannot be fully understood disconnected from the larger histories of the social groups which help define me (Ajil & Blount-Hill, 2020; Blount-Hill & St. John, 2017a, 2017b)” (Blount-Hill, 2020).
Category 3 [idea 3.8]: Applications of social identity theory	“As argued by O´brien (1999), identity is a dynamic concept, as an individual’s identity takes shape during the interaction of that individual with other individuals (O´brien, 1999; Bucholtz & Hall, 2008). This identity is reflected in each of the decisions that users make on social platforms. What content do they interact with? What hashtag do they include in a tweet? What words do they use? Each of these decisions about user interactions reveal users’ identity (Flower & Hayes, 1981; Mendoza-Denton, 2002)” (Reyes-Menendeza, Sauraa, and Thomas, 2020).

 

Regarding Table 1, there are three categories of ideas gathered from the agile literature review exercise. Category 1 on “basic ideas of social identity theory” has eight ideas collected. Category 2 on “ingredient theories on social identity theory” has fourteen ideas. Lastly Category 3 on “applications of social identity theory” has eight ideas.  A summary of the ideas in each of the three categories is as follows:

Category 1 (“basic ideas of social identity theory”): the social identity theory is primarily concerned about (i) the group process of social self development by individuals, (ii) human social action needs, (iii) in-group behaviour. It stresses the psychological processes of human social actions being dependent on social parameters.

Category 2 (“ingredient theories on social identity theory”): the social identity theory comprises a set of ingredient theories, the main one of which being: social mobility theory, self-categorisation theory, identity salience, nested identities, cross-cutting identities, cognitive theories of self, self-perceived membership, identity process, identify meaning verification, and group norms.

Category 3 (“applications of social identity theory”): some of the main application topics of the social identity theory are on individual values and sense of self worth, individual identity and organizational identity, life narratives.

Overall, there is a rich repository of academic ideas on social identity theory. They can be related to the research theme of scholar-practitioner by indicating how the various scholar-practitioner sub-topics (Ho, 2014; 2015) can be considered in terms of the academic ideas on social identity theory. This conceptual exercise is taken up in the next section.

 

Informing the study of scholar-practitioner with academic ideas from the social identity theory literature

The research topic of scholar-practitioners in business management (Ho, 2014; 2015) can be comprehended in terms of the model of it as depicted in Figure 1. The scholar-practitioner model comprises 4 parts, namely, supportive infrastructure (Part A), Learning process and motivators (Part B), Impacts of skills (Part C), Professional identity (Part D), and, lastly, On personal well-being (Part E).

 

 

With reference to Figure 1, the intellectual contribution of social identity theory is on clarifying how the “group process”, “human social action needs”, and “in-group behaviour” (re: Category 1 ideas on social identity theory) affect “learning process and motivators” (re: Part B of the Scholar-practitioner model of Figure 1). The social identity theory also clarifies the nature of “Professional identity” (re: Part D of Figure 1) in terms of social identity and social self. Finally, the social identity theory also offers some explanation on the experience of “personal well-being” in terms of “self esteem”, “values and “emotions” (re: Category 1 ideas on social identity theory). In a nutshell, the academic literature on social identity theory offers useful study materials to enable a deeper-level of intellectual learning on the research topic of scholar-practitioner of Ho (2014; 2015).

Concluding remarks

It is demonstrated in this article that an agile literature review exercise, in this case on studying social identity theory to enable a deep-level comprehension on scholar-practitioner study, is a rewarding endeavour. The agile exercise is especially in sync with the busy pace of life of practising managers who aspire to be scholar-practitioners in business management. It enables them to learn and practice business management knowledge in an agile mode. Lastly, this exercise enriches knowledge on the research topic of scholar-practitioners in business management. It thus clearly indicates the practical value of the agile literature review exercise as a research method technique.

 

References

Ashforth, B.E. and Mael, F. 1989. “Social Identity Theory and the Organization” The Academy of Management Review 14(1) Jan.: pp. 20-39.

Blount-Hill, K.L. 2020. “Exploring a Social Identity Theory of Shared Narrative” Criminal Justice and Behavior 201X, Vol. XX, No. X, Month: 1–18.

Davis, J.L., Love, T.P. and Fares, P. 2019. “Collective Social Identity: Synthesizing Identity Theory and Social Identity Theory Using Digital Data” Social Psychology Quarterly 82(3): 254–273.

Harwood, J. 2020. “Social Identity Theory” The International Encyclopedia of Media Psychology. Van den Bulck, J. (Editor-in-Chief), Ewoldsen, D., Mares, M.L. and Scharrer, E. (Associate Editors): 1-7.

Hiller, K., Mahlendorf, M.D. and Weber, J. 2014. “Management Accountants’ Occupational Prestige Within the Company: A Social Identity Theory Perspective” European Accounting Review 23(4): 671-691, DOI: 10.1080/09638180.2013.849204.

Ho, J.K.K. 2014. “A Theoretical Review on the Professional Development to Be a Scholar-Practitioner in Business Management” European Academic Research 1(12) March: 5393-5422.

Ho, J.K.K. 2015. “A survey study of perceptions on the scholar-practitioner notion: the Hong Kong case” American Research Thoughts 1(1) August: 2268-2284.

Pearce II, J.A. 2013. “Using Social Identity Theory to Predict Managers’ Emphases on Ethical and Legal Values in Judging Business Issues” Journal of Business Ethics 112: 497–514.

Peterson, M.F. and Stewart, S.A . 2020. “Implications of Individualist Bias in Social Identity Theory for Cross-Cultural Organizational Psychology” Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 51(5): 283–308.

Reicher, S.. 2004. “The Context of Social Identity: Domination, Resistance, and Change” Political Psychology, Vol. 25, No. 6: 921-945.

Reyes-Menendeza, A., Sauraa, J.R., and Thomas, S.B.. 2020. “Exploring key indicators of social identity in the #MeToo era: Using discourse analysis in UGC” International Journal of Information Management 54. 102129.

Samson, K. 2019. “Social Identity of Zeliangrong People of Asssam, Manipur and Nagaland” Sociological Bulletin 68(2) 221–237.

Schmidts, T. 2013. “Social identity theory and the family business: A contribution to understanding family business dynamics” Small Enterprise Research 20(2): 76-86, DOI: 10.5172/ser.2013.20.2.76.

Schulte, M., Bamberg, S., Rees, J. and Rollin, P. 2020. “Social identity as a key concept for connecting transformative societal change with individual environmental activism”  Journal of Environmental Psychology 72. 101525.

Scott, C.R. 2007. “Communication and Social Identity Theory: Existing and Potential Connections in Organizational Identification Research” Communication Studies 58(2): 123-138, DOI: 10.1080/10510970701341063.

Whitaker, M.C. 2020. “Us and Them: Using Social Identity Theory to Explain and Re‑envision Teacher–Student Relationships in Urban Schools” The Urban Review 52:691–707.

Willetts, G. and Clarke, D. 2014. “Constructing nurses’ professional identity through social identity theory” International Journal of Nursing Practice 20: 164–169.