Year: 2025
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Title: The Power of Devotion: The Warm Embrace of Brand Control Authors: Axel Fredlund and Johannes Gustavsson Supervisor: John Murray Course: BUSN49, Degree Project in Master’s Programme, Managing People, Knowledge and Change, 15 ECTS Purpose: This thesis aimed to explore how subjects of brand-centered control perform emotional labour. The focus of our study is how brand-centered control shapes employee experiences and emotional labour in a high-performance organizational setting. Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework consists of existing literature on normative control, neo-normative control, brand-centered control and emotional labour. Methodology: We conducted a qualitative study utilizing the interpretivist tradition. We specifically used the dramaturgical tradition while using an abductive approach to analyze subjective experiences through a frontstage-backstage perspective. Findings: Our findings indicate that the distinction between frontstage and backstage has blurred with brand-centered control, creating a stage that bridges the boundaries between work and private life. While current literature often associates this with the risk of emotional exhaustion and stress, our findings reveal no such tendencies among the employees. Instead, they willingly advocate for and represent the organization beyond working hours. Conclusion: This study contributes to a better understanding of how brand-centered control shapes emotional labour. Specifically, our research highlights the need to revisit dominant assumptions about normative control and emotional labour by showing that emotional labour under brand-centered control can be willingly embraced rather than necessarily experienced as coercive or effortful.
Authors: Fredlund, Axel, Gustavsson, Johannes
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6986545143