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Research article
First published online June 19, 2009

Identity affirmation through `signature style': A study of toy car designers

Kimberly D. ElsbachView all authors and affiliations
Volume 62, Issue 7
https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726709335538

Abstract

I describe findings from a qualitative study of toy car designers that shows how creative workers may develop and express `signature styles' through their work. The display of these signature styles — that were not advertised, stamped on products, or even recognized in official corporate marketing communications — allowed designers to affirm their creative, professional identities while designing commodity products within the practical constraints of a corporate context. Findings further revealed that creative workers used signature styles, primarily, to affirm the identity categorizations of `idealistic' and `independent'. I discuss how these findings extend our understanding of `identity work' among creative workers, and may improve our ability to effectively manage these workers in corporate settings.

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1.
1 It should be acknowledged that creative workers, who are employed outside of corporate contexts, may also have practical constraints placed on their work. Fine artists, musicians, performing artists, and the like often have to deal with the needs and wants of consumers (e.g. the public won't purchase artwork that is too large for their living rooms), promoters (e.g. we don't have a concert hall that can accommodate a full symphony) and even private benefactors (e.g. your script must have a role for my aspiring-actress daughter).
2.
2 It should be noted that Sluss and Ashforth (2007) recognize that role-based and person-based categorizations may appear to overlap in the enactment of a role. For example, a role identity that involves supervising others, may be combined with a person-based identity of openness, and result in a person enacting the role of supervisor in an open and transparent manner. While this combination of identity categorizations in the enactment of the role may appear to blur the two types of categorizations, they are, nevertheless defined as distinct dimensions or inputs to an individual's identity.

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Published In

Volume 62, Issue 7
Pages: 1041 - 1072
Article first published online: June 19, 2009
Issue published: July 2009

Keywords

  1. creativity
  2. design
  3. identity management
  4. individual identity
  5. signature style

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Kimberly D. Elsbach
Graduate School of Management, University of California, Davis, [email protected]
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