Constructing and negotiating the professional identity of ‘leader’ by suggesting and challenging improvement of professional practices: Deontics in a four-part sequential structure

Abstract

The paper contributes to previous studies of identity as locally and interactionally produced by pointing to some of the multimodal resources employed by participants to achieving, challenge and manage the professional identity of ‘leader’ in different workplace settings. We examine professional identity work in sequential environments where it provides a resource for handling the resistance to improvement displayed by another participant. We show how leader identity work gets embedded within a four-part structure of: (1) identifying a problem, (2) proposing improvements, (3) misaligning with others’ proposals, and (4) managing the misalignment. The paper is based on video ethnographic fieldwork and recordings of face-to-face institutional interaction at two different institutional settings in Denmark. The study provides insight about the role of identity work in the interactional achievement of institutional procedures.