Doctoral thesis: Narratives provide security in a constantly changing work life
The thesis examines how narratives are used in situations such as hybrid work during the pandemic, career changes, and failed change initiatives. The result is clear: stories help us create stability when everything else is shifting.
“By repeating certain narratives over others, we maintain norms, values, and social structures. For example, professional groups can uphold an image of their profession by retelling selected stories about what kind of people ”we” are,” says Pyhäjärvi.
In her thesis Pyhäjärvi explains how narratives about organisational and personal values, such as family and leisure, were used to create stability during the pandemic. She also shows how narratives about professional identity can maintain an individual’s self-image during career transitions, and how they can be used to resist change in hierarchical organisations.
“Whether narratives are used consciously or unconsciously, they serve a purpose. We can use them strategically to influence others, but even when told unconsciously, they contribute to maintaining social structures, traditions, and self-image. Even stories told jokingly, for example about a certain profession, help shape how we and others perceive what is happening around us,” Pyhäjärvi explains.
By listening to the narratives circulating in organisations, leaders can uncover invisible structures and create more sustainable changes. Resistance to change is not always about unwillingness, it can sometimes express a need for stability.
“By recognising the need for security and predictability, and by listening to the stories people use to create meaning, leaders can not only manage resistance but also build changes that are perceived as sustainable. This may involve linking the change to values already important in the organisation or showing how new ways of working strengthen what employees care about, such as quality of care or allocating enough time for patient meetings.”
You can read the full thesis here:
Narratives, sensemaking and ontological security in turbulent environments
Daniela Pyhäjärvi’s doctoral defence is on 28 November at 12:00 at Hanken School of Economics, Arkadiankatu 22, Helsinki.
Opponent: Andrea Whittle, Newcastle University Business School
Custos: Emma Nordbäck