When in Rome, be(come) a Roman? An actor focus on identities in networks

Although the actor category in the Actor-Resource-Activity (ARA) model is less developed than its resource and activity dimensions, both activity links and resource ties ultimately depend on this category. The actor dimension is also central for identity research, but the fact that the actor is often conflated with activities may confuse our understanding of business interactions. The present study builds on the 'organizational identities in networks' approach, which offers an explicit actor focus. The study uses a longitudinal narrative case study that focuses on the development of a subsidiary in a multinational corporation to illustrate the complementarities between this approach and the traditional view of identity industrial networks. The paper contributes with a conceptual framework that emphasizes actor feature-activity links and the interplay between a focal firm's identity control and influences from other actors.