Moralized identities in and around organizations: an identity work perspective

Journal article

In this article, we examine the literature on moralized identities – the range of identities that people construct for themselves that are underpinned by issues of morality. We problematize traditional theorizing by drawing on the identity work perspective to develop an explanatory framework that diverts attention away from a traditional focus on what single, stable, unified, and rarely fully contextualized moralized identities do to theorize how multiple, fluid, contextspecific, moralized identities embedded in relations of power are constructed. Our framework outlines a dynamic conceptualization of moralized identities which disrupts the assumption of moral coherence by theorizing that moralized identities are plural, dynamic, relational, and networked. Building on our framework, we provide an agenda for future moralized identities research.

Authors: Gill, MJ; Brown, AD

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Journal: Journal of Management Studies
• Publication date: 2026-06-14
• Acceptance date: 2026-05-08
• DOI: 10.1111/joms.70120
• EISSN: 1467-6486
• ISSN: 0022-2380
• Language: English
• Keywords: identity; identity work; identity work perspective; moral identity; moralized identity