Sophie Michel, associate professor at EM Strasbourg, recently published an article in Human Relations, in collaboration with a professor at the University of Bath.
Sophie Michel and Russ Vince co-authored an article entitled “Bad apples and sour grapes: How fruit and vegetable wholesalers' fantasy mediates experienced stigma.”
Abstract:
How do organisations that belong to a stigmatised industry manage negative perceptions?
This research delves into the intriguing question of how organisations in stigmatized industries manage negative perceptions, offering fresh insights that bridge academic theory with practical implications. By examining the strategies employed by French fruit and vegetable wholesalers, commonly branded as thieves and unwanted intermediaries, the study uncovers how organisational members transform external stigma into positive self-idealizations. From cultivating an idealized perception of centrality to navigating nostalgic fantasies, the research elucidates how these actors maintain stability amidst stigmatization. Managers and researchers alike will find invaluable lessons in understanding and confronting stigma, with implications extending to organisational resilience and strategic adaptation in challenging environments.
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Human Relations is an international peer-reviewed journal publishing the highest quality original research to advance our understanding of social relationships at and around work. The journal encourages strong empirical contributions that develop and extend theory as well as more conceptual papers that integrate, critique and expand existing theory.