Abstract
This explanatory single case study revisited economist and philosopher Albert O. Hirschman’s (1970) exit, voice, and loyalty (EVL) model to explore two covert scenarios, which included how and why a high-performance employee stays silent and turns to apathy and neglect amid organizational identity change. A case study focused on Elon Musk’s Twitter, Inc. takeover was selected with a cross-case analysis procedure for validation and reliability. The unit of analysis was one high-performance employee and one organization that both served as an archetype for each unit. The study focused on occurrences before and during the takeover from June 2019 through July 23, 2023. The study was conducted from a systems psychodynamic theoretical perspective that integrated a covert behavior process into its framework. Both systems psychodynamics and covert behavior processes are interpretive paradigms that are proficient in identifying the psychological underpinnings of how the phenomenon of human behavior occurs that is not overtly expressed, as well as providing explanations as to why they happen. The study is considered an instrumental single case study with temporal variation, defined as cause and effect, and diachronic, described as an event that takes place over time. The case study results were organized by composite themes and interpretations based on systems psychodynamics and categorized as organizational identity threats, employee response stages, and leadership implications. The study’s outcome determined that developing an EVL playbook would contribute to the Hirschman scholarship and can assist organizations as a supplement to a standard operating procedure manual. The contribution would enhance Hirschman’s model for adaptability to contemporary organizations, political arenas, and the social sciences.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Organizational change; Organizational behavior; Employee motivation; Leadership; Hirschman, Albert O.
Date of Award
2025
School Affiliation
Graduate School of Education and Psychology
Department/Program
Education
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctorate
Faculty Advisor
Abraham Song
Recommended Citation
Bahar, Lisa Christine, "Refining Albert O. Hirschman’s model: high-performance employee covert behavior toward organizational identity change" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 1584.
https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/1584