How trust functions in the context of identity work
Abstract
The study develops a new perspective on trust in organizations by exploring trust in the context of identity work. An analysis of stories in which employees describe how they experienced when the employer violated their trust suggests that individuals draw on trust discourse to validate who they are. Using a psychoanalytically informed framework, the study examines the complexities of trust in the context of struggles with the conscious self and unconscious desire. Trust emerges as a placeholder for what is really wanted but impossible to attain. Based on this perspective, the study offers new insights on why individuals trust, why trust may be resilient, why trust may be engineered and how trust mirrors identity as an elusive and fleeting accomplishment.
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Biographies
Michaela Driver researches alternative and psychoanalytic approaches to a wide range of organizational topics such as organizational identity and learning, emotions, spirituality, corporate social responsibility, identity work, creativity, embodied subjectivity and leadership. Journals in which Michaela’s work has been published include Organization Studies, Human Relations, Organization, Management Learning, Journal of Organizational Change Management, Journal of Business Ethics and Journal of Management Inquiry. She serves on several editorial boards including Organization Studies, Organization, Management Learning and Journal of Management Inquiry. [Email: [email protected]]
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Article first published online: January 13, 2015
Issue published: June 2015
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