ABSTRACT
Employing a story to present the results of a longitudinal study of 21 Australian business academics, the paper provides insight into the life of a mythical academic, Bill, and his responses to a changing academic environment during the period 2002 to 2008. A storytelling method is employed as a means to encourage the reader’s identification with Bill’s story and, using a broad Habermasian lens on institutional change, to question the degree to which Bill’s values were colonised by the changes. In addition to further understanding of the impacts of institutional change on academic values and identity, the paper’s contribution lies in its novel approach to presenting research findings in a way that allows the interpretation to connect reader and subject on a personal level.
