Constructing identities – professional use of eID in public organisations

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to reveal how identities are constructed when electronic identification (eIDs) cards are introduced through information systems in public organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

Through two case studies, the authors generate rich data on the construction of identities through use of eID within public organisations. The author’s analysis, based on actor network theory, focusses on the translation of eIDs in these two settings.

Findings

ID can be viewed as an artefact where the public and private spheres meet. The authors found at least three mixed roles in employees’ use of eID: as a purely private person; as a private person in the work place; and as a professional in the work place.

Research limitations/implications

There is a need for further research on how eID is translated into organisational contexts and how institutional settings define the openings for local translation processes. However, the results are based on two small cases, meaning that broad generalisations are difficult to make.

Practical implications

EID is so much more than technology. The technical framing of the identification system appears to be subordinated to organisational arrangements and cultures, making it important to apply a socio-technical perspective when working with eID.

Originality/value

The empirical cases have offered a unique chance to study implementation and use of eID in two very different public service organisations. The findings illustrate how eID translated into organisational contexts, and how identity management within an organisational setting is linked to the employees’ private and professional roles.

Citation

Hedström, K., Wihlborg, E., Gustafsson, M.S. and Söderström, F. (2015), "Constructing identities – professional use of eID in public organisations", Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, Vol. 9 No. 2, pp. 143-158. https://doi.org/10.1108/TG-11-2013-0049