Professor Christine Coupland

Christine Coupland studied Psychology and Business Psychology at the University of Derby, having worked for a number of years in Human Resource Management. Her PhD was a study of newcomer transition into management featuring contributions to the areas of, careers, identity and graduate socialization into the workplace.

Christine’s intellectual interests centre on the on issues of identity and language, drawing upon theoretical perspectives from organisation studies and constructionist social psychology. More specifically, the individual in interaction with the institution of work, and organisations in intersection with their various audiences have been the foci of her past research.

Christine was awarded the BAM research medal in 2017 for sustained impact on research of identities at work. She continues to be influential within the field of identities research, which is illustrated though co-editing special issues, e.g., Barros, M., Alcadipani, R., Coupland, C. and Brown, A.D. (forthcoming, 2022) ‘Online identities: the struggle for the digital self in and around organizations.’ Organization; Coupland C., Cutcher L., Beech N. and Brown A.D. (forthcoming, 2021) ‘Identity and learning (not) to be different.’ Management Learning.

More recently, Christine’s influence has moved to the European conference arena. Since July 2018 she has co-convened a stream at EGOS conferences each year.

Christine’s research interests centre on issues of identity and language, drawing upon theoretical perspectives from organisation studies and constructionist social psychology.

More specifically, the individual in interaction with the institution of work, and organisations in intersection with their various audiences have been the foci of her research.

Published work is broadly an exploration of language and identities in the contexts of:

• professional sports (e.g. Cartigny et al., 2019; 2020; Coupland, 2015; Brown and Coupland, 2015)
• corporate web pages (e.g. Coupland and Brown, 2004; Coupland, 2005; Coupland, 2006)
• careers, newcomers and older workers, (e.g. Coupland, 2001; 2004; Brown and Coupland, 2005; Spedale and Coupland, 2014; Tempest and Coupland, 2016)
• changing environments (e.g. Coupland et al., 2005; Coupland et al., 2008; Beech et al., 2009).

• Coupland, C. and Spedale, S. (2020) Agile identities: Fragile humans? In A.D. Brown (Ed.) The Oxford Handbook of Identities in Organizations. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 833-847.
• Cartigny, E., Fletcher, D., Coupland, C. and Taylor, G. (2019) Mind the Gap: A Grounded Theory of Dual Career Pathways in Sport, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, DOI: 10.1080/10413200.2019.1654559
• Tempest, S. and Coupland, C. (2017) Lost in time and space: temporal and spatial challenges facing older workers in a global economy from a career capital perspective. International Journal of HRM, 28, 2159-2183.
• Reedy, P., King, D. and Coupland, C. (2016) Organizing for individuation: alternative organizing, politics and new identities. Organization Studies, 37, 1553-1573.
• Coupland, C. (2015) Entry and exit as embodied career choice in professional sport, Journal of Vocational Behavior, 90, 111-121.
• Spedale, S. Coupland, C. and Tempest, S. (2014) Gendered ageism and organisational routines at work: The case of day-parting in television broadcasting Special Issue ‘At a Critical Age’, Organization Studies, 35, 1585-1604.