Where Identity Meets Meaning - An interpretivist qualitative case study on identity construction in mission-driven non-profit organisations
(2025) BUSN49 20251Department of Business Administration
- Abstract
- Title: Where Identity Meets Meaning - An interpretivist qualitative case study on identity construction in mission-driven non-profit organisations
Authors: Leonie Erika Renate Brake and Emily Florentine Horn
Supervisor: Stefan Sveningsson, Professor of Business Administration Lund University School of Economics and Management, Sweden
Submission Date: 25th of May 2025
Purpose: This study aims to understand how identity is co-constructed within a non-profit organisation. This includes an investigation of how identification develops among members, the role of the founder in shaping this process, and the impact of these identity dynamics on organisational development.
Methodology: Our study employs a single-case, qualitative research... (More) - Title: Where Identity Meets Meaning - An interpretivist qualitative case study on identity construction in mission-driven non-profit organisations
Authors: Leonie Erika Renate Brake and Emily Florentine Horn
Supervisor: Stefan Sveningsson, Professor of Business Administration Lund University School of Economics and Management, Sweden
Submission Date: 25th of May 2025
Purpose: This study aims to understand how identity is co-constructed within a non-profit organisation. This includes an investigation of how identification develops among members, the role of the founder in shaping this process, and the impact of these identity dynamics on organisational development.
Methodology: Our study employs a single-case, qualitative research design focused on a German animal rescue non-profit organisation. Using an abductive approach grounded in interpretivism, we iteratively developed theory and empirical insights through ten semi-structured interviews conducted online and in person and immersive participant observations during a two-day field visit.
Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework mainly consists of literature on identity in individual and organisational contexts. Moreover, we explore the topic of leadership, focusing on its social construction. Given the specific focus of this study, theory on leadership in non-profit organisations is included.
Contributions: This thesis contributes to identity theory by revealing how intense identification in a non-profit through moral alienation and collective boundary work can lead to a “devotion trap,” where personal and organisational identities fuse, making organisational change increasingly difficult. Additionally, we shed light on the unique role of founders in co-producing organisational identity and meaning, offering new insights into leadership as a socially constructed and emotionally resonant process in mission-driven organisations.
Keywords: Non-Profit Organisations, Mission-Driven Organisations, Individual Identity, Organisational Identity, Identity Work, Socially Constructed Leadership, Founder Syndrome, Qualitative Research (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9196144
- author
- Horn, Emily Florentine LU and Brake, Leonie Erika Renate LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- BUSN49 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- keywords
- Non-Profit Organisations, Mission-Driven Organisations, Individual Identity, Organisational Identity, Identity Work, Socially Constructed Leadership, Founder Syndrome, Qualitative Research
- language
- English
- id
- 9196144
- date added to LUP
- 2025-06-23 09:43:23
- date last changed
- 2025-06-23 09:43:23
@misc{9196144,
abstract = {{Title: Where Identity Meets Meaning - An interpretivist qualitative case study on identity construction in mission-driven non-profit organisations
Authors: Leonie Erika Renate Brake and Emily Florentine Horn
Supervisor: Stefan Sveningsson, Professor of Business Administration Lund University School of Economics and Management, Sweden
Submission Date: 25th of May 2025
Purpose: This study aims to understand how identity is co-constructed within a non-profit organisation. This includes an investigation of how identification develops among members, the role of the founder in shaping this process, and the impact of these identity dynamics on organisational development.
Methodology: Our study employs a single-case, qualitative research design focused on a German animal rescue non-profit organisation. Using an abductive approach grounded in interpretivism, we iteratively developed theory and empirical insights through ten semi-structured interviews conducted online and in person and immersive participant observations during a two-day field visit.
Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework mainly consists of literature on identity in individual and organisational contexts. Moreover, we explore the topic of leadership, focusing on its social construction. Given the specific focus of this study, theory on leadership in non-profit organisations is included.
Contributions: This thesis contributes to identity theory by revealing how intense identification in a non-profit through moral alienation and collective boundary work can lead to a “devotion trap,” where personal and organisational identities fuse, making organisational change increasingly difficult. Additionally, we shed light on the unique role of founders in co-producing organisational identity and meaning, offering new insights into leadership as a socially constructed and emotionally resonant process in mission-driven organisations.
Keywords: Non-Profit Organisations, Mission-Driven Organisations, Individual Identity, Organisational Identity, Identity Work, Socially Constructed Leadership, Founder Syndrome, Qualitative Research}},
author = {{Horn, Emily Florentine and Brake, Leonie Erika Renate}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Where Identity Meets Meaning - An interpretivist qualitative case study on identity construction in mission-driven non-profit organisations}},
year = {{2025}},
}