Towards an Understanding of Identity and Technology in the Workplace

Despite the ubiquitous presence of information technology (IT) in the workplace and the continued computerization of all kinds of work practices, investigations into how IT artifacts play a role in professional identity construction remain rare. Existing studies tend to emphasize sense-making and discourses around IT. This study attempts to fill some of this gap by offering an empirical investigation of how IT artifacts play a role in professional identity enactment at a back office of a Big 4 accounting firm. Building on the socio-technical school of thought and the concept of self as storied, the paper offers a complementary perspective to existing views on the role of IT in identity formation. Our findings reveal that IT artifacts become part of professional identity performances by acting as landmarks in individuals’ self-narratives around which the self and others are positioned and a preferred professional identity is enacted. The findings also indicate that different types of preferred selves may be expressed in specific patterns of technology use. As such, our study contributes to a better understanding of professional identity construction, workplace behavior and ongoing use or non-use of IT at work.