Redefining the Controller’s role: an Autoethnographic study

Abstract

This thesis explores how Controllers in the financial services industry can proactively redefine their roles to become more business oriented. Set within an international insurance company, The study adopts an autoethnographic and development-oriented approach to investigate how informal actions, stakeholder engagement, and reflective practice can reshape professional identity and contribute to organizational value creation. Drawing on theories of proactive behaviour, job crafting, and value co-creation, the research addresses four key questions: how Controllers can redefine their roles, which behaviours and practices support co-creation, what contextual and individual factors influence this process, and how narrative insights can inform role development. The empirical material consists of four introspective stories based on lived experience, examined through successive layers of interpretation.

The findings suggest that even small, self-initiated efforts can lead to meaningful change when they align with stakeholder needs and organizational conditions. The study provides a clear foundation in theoretical concepts and practical guidance for Controllers seeking to strengthen their business orientation. It also shows how personal stories can reveal the informal and relational aspects of role change.