Journal of Management Studies· 2026Q1
How Brokers Enable Collective Identity Formation in Fragmented Industry Groups: The Case of Franciacorta Wineries
- 0citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Technical consultants acting as brokers facilitated collective identity formation among fragmented Franciacorta wineries by translating ideas, cross-pollinating practices, and integrating diverse perspectives.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Brokers (technical consultants) played a key role in collective identity formation for Franciacorta wineries.
- Three mechanisms used by brokers: translation, cross-pollination, and integration.
- Collective identity was built through co-created practices, social connections, and adaptation/alignment.
- The study emphasizes the importance of underlying practice-level and social work in identity formation.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract This study illuminates the role of brokers, that is, actors spanning inter‐organizational boundaries, in the process of collective identity formation in fragmented industry groups. Through an in‐depth longitudinal analysis of the Franciacorta wineries from the 1960s to the 1990s, we uncover how technical consultants acting as brokers facilitated collective identity formation by interacting with wineries through three mechanisms: translation, cross‐pollination, and integration. Our grounded model of collective identity formation reveals a distributed and co‐creative pathway to cohesive identity understandings built from the interstices of fragmented industry groups, through the co‐creation of practices, the weaving of social connections, and the facilitation of an optimally distinctive collective identity via inward adaptation and outward alignment between broader industry domains and local contexts. Our study advances theory by foregrounding the more inconspicuous practice‐level and social work that precedes, and ultimately determines the success of, the more visible identity‐defining moments that happen via symbolic representation or institutional codification.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Management Studies, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management
Organizational Behavior and Human Resource ManagementBusiness, Management and Accounting