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Which Way Do I Go? How Non-managerial Employees Navigate Conflicting Logics in an Indian Hybrid Organization

Author

Listed:
  • Richa Awasthy
  • Monica Adya

Abstract

This study explores how employees in hybrid organizations navigate institutional contradictions in the context of India’s evolving energy sector. Drawing on a qualitative case study of VTPL, a public–private hybrid firm, we examine how non-managerial and contractual employees experience and respond to tensions arising from conflicting public and private logics. Framing the case study as a process investigation, we identify four coping strategies: pragmatic role-switching, symbolic compliance, contractual worker resilience and legitimacy shielding. These strategies reflect a dynamic process of sensemaking and adaptation, moving beyond static models of conflicting logics in hybrid organizations. Our findings contribute to research by demonstrating how employees actively construct hybrid work identities and shape responses from the bottom up. The study offers insights into how hybrid organizations can foster adaptation and flexibility to sustain performance in complex environments.

Suggested Citation

  • Richa Awasthy & Monica Adya, 2025. "Which Way Do I Go? How Non-managerial Employees Navigate Conflicting Logics in an Indian Hybrid Organization," FIIB Business Review, , vol. 14(5), pages 566-585, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:fbbsrw:v:14:y:2025:i:5:p:566-585
    DOI: 10.1177/23197145251370854
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Richa Awasthy & Rajen K. Gupta, 2021. "Unravelling the layers of Indian culture and worldview: an exploratory study," International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 22(1), pages 137-166.
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