In-between identity work: Transcending boundaries in university-industry collaboration

Journal article, 2025

Scholarly literature has scarcely addressed the intricacies surrounding individual work identity and its ramifications within the context of university-industry collaboration (UIC). In an endeavour to address this lacuna and enhance our comprehension, this study explicates how individuals engaging in UIC experience identity struggles and perform identity work by constructing and reconstructing their self-conception and the notion of what they can do. A single case study, of a research centre situated in Northern Europe with prolonged collaborative effort, was used as the methodological approach. The findings proffer insights into micro-foundations of UIC by outlining various ways individuals conduct identity work to navigate and bridge cognitive and behavioural boundaries. This knowledge disputes the prevailing view that UIC related identity tensions and struggles should be resolved at the organizational level. Instead, identity work is shown to be crucial in harnessing these struggles to support the knowledge exchange and creation, necessary for innovation. An emergent model of in-between identity work is generated demonstrating how individuals perform identity work at the intersection of organizational boundaries allowing them to embody both collective and individual identities, fostering belonging while preserving the cognitive and institutional variety.