Making the Invisible Visible: OD Practitioners’ Interactive Drama In Forming a Sense of Professional Identity Donna M. Wocher, PhD Fielding Graduate University,

Making the Invisible Visible: OD Practitioners’ Interactive Drama

In Forming a Sense of Professional Identity

Donna M. Wocher, PhDFielding Graduate University, AU/NTL

OD Network Student Awards ColloquiumNovember 1, 2011

Significance of the Study

• No license or specific degree is required

• Growing number of niches

• Overlapping professional identities

• Scant research on how OD practitioners form professional identity

11/1/2011 2Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Donna Wocher, PhD.

Research Question

How do organization development practitioners form a sense of professional identity and what are the challenges and dilemmas they must manage to do so?


How is identity being defined in this study?

Symbolic Interactionism (SI)

• Identity is socially constructed

• Interaction or “talk” with others

• Open to negotiation and reconstructionMead

BlumerCooley


What kind of professional identity?(organization development practitioners)

• Engaged in activities to solve problems using behavioral scientific knowledge, theory and techniques with aim of making organization more effective

• Conduct detailed analysis and dispense advice, remedies, and recommendations to leaders, managers, employees within organizations


What theories of identity are framing this study?

Dramaturgical Framework (theater)

• Actors on a stage– “giving off” signals and behaviors – employing rhetoric and props – using norms and expectations– engaging in surface and deep

acting

Hochschild, 1983Goffman, 1975Burke, 1962

Phenomenological Sociology

• Life-worlds

• Coordinating meaning making

• Typifications

• We-relationship

Schutz, 1970Schutz & Luckmann, 1973Berger & Luckmann, 1966


Research Approach and Methods

• Phenomenological Sociology (Schutz)– Varieties of life-worlds– Intersubjective and co-created– Individuals are always coordinating actions through shared stocks-of-

knowledge and typifications to achieve specific goals or outcomes


Key Concepts on Identity

• Socially constructed• Negotiated and re-negotiated• Coordinated meaning-making with others

(we-relationships)• “Giving-Off” signals and behaviors• Using typifications and stocks-of-knowledge


What is already known about identity formation of OD practitioners and others?

• Gottlieb (1997)– factors in role conduct

• Michas (2007)– personal account

• Management Consultants• Counselors and Therapists


Study Sample

Selection Criteria• Minimum 3 yrs experience• Master’s degree • Professional association

Sample Recruiting• Nominations from faculty &

students• Peer & self-nominations• Conference & regional meetings

Sample Characteristics• Eleven women• Five men• Nine internal practitioners• Seven external practitioners• Ten worked in for-profit• Four worked in not-for-profit• Two cited working in both kinds• Master’s degrees (16)• PhD degrees (2)• Years of practice ranged three to nine

years (mode eight)


Data Collection

1) one to two-hour open-ended interview in person or by telephone

2) picture and/or description of the symbolic object representing their identity

3) attitudinal survey to measure salience or importance of identity (Twenty Statement Test)


Data Analysis• Recorded interviews were transcribed

• Interpretive method (fundamental meaning units were assigned a code)

• Used gerunds to ensure “how” participants were enacting their identity as opposed to “what”

• Compare and contrast all 16 summary tables (group and code)

• Went back to literature and added additional frameworks and models


Results and Findings

Challenges and dilemmas left unresolved threatened and weakened commitment to the performance of OD role and resulted in feelings of disorientation and anxiety


Challenges

• Credible and visible to clients• Define nebulous field • Handle internal emotions related to role

performance• Make distinctions between OD, employee

relations, and training• Paycheck or norms• Age – signifier of competency


Meaning-Making ToolsTangible (Instrumental)

self assessments, surveys, flowcharts, data summaries, and so on

educative materials and dog & pony shows

Intangible (Expressive) elevator speeches, provocative one-liners, stories expressive tactics ~ commanding presence, assertive

tones, confident directives


Performance Genres (character types)


Healer ShamanHealing Something that is Broken


Metrics MaverickIllustrating Value


Systems DesignerMaking Systems Visible and More Effective


Analyst OracleUncovering Core Issues


Truth Sayer-SageDiscussing the “Undiscussable”


Self-Awareness AllyCreating Client Self-Awareness


Performance Genres (character types)


Performing and Forming


OD Practitioner Identity Formation Continuum

Orientation

• Accumulate knowledge• Sell services• Calm internal feelings• Genuine confidence• Minimize or eliminate threats• Provide confirmation• Find niche

Disorientation

• Acquire clients • Sell OD using academic language• Oscillating anxiety and courage• Feigning confidence• Encounter threats to identity• Dependent on confirmation • Search for fit


Findings• Phases that OD practitioners experience in forming a sense of professional identity

• Identification and use of a variety of meaning making tools used by OD practitioners with clients in negotiating and simultaneously laying claim to the role of the OD practitioner

• Verification feedback from clients strengthened commitment to and the importance of the OD practitioner role while lack of confirmation from clients weakened identity formation of the OD practitioner role

• Conundrum of engaging in unethical work that violated the norms of the field in order to establish a track record and gain credibility

• Clinical Supervision


Limitations

• Sample limited in diversity• Qualitative interpretation • Face-to-face and voice-to-voice


Future Research

• Critical moment or junctures (disoriented/oriented)

• Movement of identity formation over the life/career span

• Client perspective


Questions


Contact Information

Donna M. Wocher, PhDIdentity FuturesCreative Director and Founder

Wocher Signature Style Assessment (beta)[email protected]


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.identityfutures.com/

Thank You!

Donna M. Wocher, PhDFielding Graduate University, AU/NTL

OD Network Student Awards ColloquiumNovember 1, 2011

Documents

Making the Invisible Visible: OD Practitioners’ Interactive Drama In Forming a Sense of Professional Identity Donna M. Wocher, PhD Fielding Graduate University,