Organizational Identity

Exploring culture and collective identity with the Radio Ballads

by Stephen Linstead

Ch. 14 In Pullen, A. Beech, N. And Sims, D. (2007) Exploring Identity: Concepts and Methods London: Palgrave Macmillan pp 251-73.

The understanding of culture depends on the dynamic understanding of cultural processes, not on their abstraction and... more The understanding of culture depends on the dynamic understanding of cultural processes, not on their abstraction and rationalization – on those things that, precisely because they are intuitive, unconscious and taken for granted, respondents cannot always readily make available for discussion. In this chapter I explore how one form of performance ethnography – and the methods it used - can be applied to hold up a mirror to organization as a means of facilitating more sensitive understandings of culture, identity and change. I introduce the Radio-Ballads as a dramatic form that draws upon ethnographic research and presents ethnographic data in a powerful and compelling way. Drawing on writings by Ewan MacColl and Charles Parker that discuss their methods, and on some transcriptions from the programmes, I will discuss five of the most salient aspects of this work for the study of collective identity – recording the background culture; listening to language (rather than discourse); intermittent interrogative methods; collective identity and narrative myth; collective self-discovery and catalytic interviewing. I will conclude by addressing some potential criticisms of the approach.

Optimal distinctiveness theory in nested categorization contexts: Moving from dueling identities to a dual identity

by Geoffrey Leonardelli

Leonardelli, G. J., Pickett, C.L., Joseph, J.E., & Hess, Y.D. (2011). Optimal distinctiveness theory in nested categorization contexts: Moving from dueling identities to a dual identity. To appear in R.M. Kramer, G.J. Leonardelli, & R.W. Livingston (Eds.), Social Cognition, Social Identity, and Intergroup Relations: A Festschrift in Honor of Marilynn Brewer (pp. 103-125). Psychology Press Festschrift series. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.

Leonardelli, Pickett, and Hess, integrates Brewer’s (1991) optimal distinctiveness theory with the nested categorical... more Leonardelli, Pickett, and Hess, integrates Brewer’s (1991) optimal distinctiveness theory with the nested categorical context typically descriptive of an organization’s internal structure, where individuals belong to groups (subgroups) nested within more inclusive superordinate groups (such as functional units nested within an organization). It is ideal for employees to simultaneously identify with the subgroup and superordinate group, that is, to engage what is called a “dual identity,” as doing so aligns the loyalty and the interests of subgroup members with the superordinate group as a whole. However, the presenters first review evidence that individuals identify more with the subgroup and less with the superordinate group, what the presenters call “dueling identities,” because individuals prefer the more distinctive subgroups to superordinate groups. The presenters then argue that such dueling identities can be transformed into a dual identity were the subgroup and superordinate group both perceived to be optimally distinct. Some evidence is presented that supports this conclusion and the discussion highlights the different strategies that could be implemented to engineer a dual identity by manipulating individuals’ needs for optimal distinctiveness.

Corporate Environmental Citizenship Variation In Developing Countries: An Institutional Framework

by Sukru Ozen

Co-Authored with Fatma Küskü, published in Journal of Business Ethics, 2009, 89 (2): 297-313.

ABSTRACT. This study focuses on why some companies
in developing countries go beyond environmental regulationsmore ABSTRACT. This study focuses on why some companies
in developing countries go beyond environmental regulations
when implementing their corporate environmental
social responsibilities or citizenship behavior. Drawing
mainly upon the new institutional theory, this study
develops a conceptual framework to explain three institutional
factors: companies’ market orientations, industrial
characteristics, and corporate identities. Accordingly, we
suggest that companies from developing countries that are
oriented to markets in developed countries, operate in
highly concentrated industries, and have missionary identities
adopt corporate environmental citizenship behavior
by going beyond environmental regulations. The study
also discusses the theoretical, policy, and managerial
implications of the conceptual framework.
KEY WORDS: corporate environmental citizenship,
corporate environmental social responsibility, new institutionalism,
institutional diversity, market orientation,
industry concentration, organizational identity, developing
countries

Drinking from the waters of Lethe: A tale of organizational oblivion

by Monika Kostera

Co-authored with Sylwia Ciuk
Published In: (2010) Managament Learning, 41/2, p.187-204.

This article is a reflection on organizational oblivion, viewed as an archetypical antonym of learning. The... more This article is a reflection on organizational oblivion, viewed as an archetypical antonym of learning. The consequences of this kind of forgetting for the organizational identity construction are described as a narrative project. We refer to the image of Lethe, an archetype of forgetting, to depict how forgetting directly affects the process of identity narrative construction. In this perspective, drinking from the waters of Lethe implies not just the loss of knowledge or memories of how things are done, but the loss of identity so that the individuals do not know who they are anymore. In this context, forgetting disrupts organizational narrative which ceases to be a coherent story and results in organizational identity loss.

Place and Space: The Evolving Impact of Geography and Technological Advances on Organizational Founding

by Christopher Rider

working paper co-authored with Heather Haveman

Despite the prevalence of space-spanning technologies, two aspects of geography strongly influence modern... more Despite the prevalence of space-spanning technologies, two aspects of geography strongly influence modern organizations: place, meaning the features of locations, and space, meaning distances between a focal location and others. But previous research ignores the question of how geographic influences evolve as transportation and communication technologies diminish spatial barriers to interaction. We propose that such technological advances attenuate the relevance of space by expanding the geographic range of interaction, and simultaneously accentuate the relevance of place by heightening the salience of geographic distinctions. We find support for our arguments in a historical analysis of the expanding US postal system and foundings of magazine-publishing ventures. As the postal system expanded, magazine founding rates became more sensitive to distant magazines and less sensitive to geographically proximate ones. In addition, new magazines were increasingly differentiated by their positions in space and their identity claims to place: magazines founded in the industry core increasingly made universalistic (national) claims to place, while those founded in the periphery increasingly made localistic (municipal or state) claims to place These findings reveal how technological advances influence the geography of entrepreneurial opportunities

Bounding, relating, mixing: identity construction at a Christian school

by Jeroen Vermeulen

Organizational image construction in a fragmented online media environment

by Dawn Gilpin

Gilpin, D. R. (2010). Organizational image construction in a fragmented online media environment. Journal of Public Relations Research, 22(3).

Organizations seek to influence their reputation through a variety of self-presentation activities, which collectively... more Organizations seek to influence their reputation through a variety of self-presentation activities, which collectively express the organization’s identity. Online and social media such as blogging and micro-blogging also contribute to image building in today’s media environment. This paper focuses on organizational image as the social dimension of organizational identity, within a larger model of reputation construction. Within this model, image construction is defined as those self-presentation practices that seek to build and maintain perceptions among stakeholders regarding the organization’s identity. Bimodal network analysis was used to examine six months of image construction efforts by the natural supermarket chain Whole Foods through multiple online channels. Although the channels shared a core set of terms and overlapped in others, each channel also addressed unique aspects of the organization’s projected image. Structural constraints and directional traits are posited as the primary reasons for this image differentiation. This study suggests that the public relations function is facing new challenges in coordinating image management among various new media, subject to greater stakeholder influence than previous communication tools.

Narrating the organizational self: Reframing the role of the news release

by Dawn Gilpin

published in Public Relations Review Volume 34, Issue 1, March 2008, pages 9-18

Public relations practitioners have long relied on the press release, or news release, as a means of communicating... more Public relations practitioners have long relied on the press release, or news release, as a means of communicating with publics via the media. The news release may also be seen as an autobiographical narrative through which the organization seeks to express and negotiate aspects of its identity. Reconceptualizing news releases as a narrative genre offers a means of studying processes of identity construction as events unfold, rather than relying on post hoc reconstructions that can explain away inconsistencies. Organizational crises offer an excellent opportunity for research, as organizations strive to make sense of complex situations of uncertainty. This study examines the bankruptcy scandal of Italian multinational Parmalat to illustrate how the news release may be configured as a narrative genre that helps to construct organizational identity.

The Strategic Use of the Past and Future In Organizational Change

by Craig Carroll

Rearticulating Organizational Identity: Exploring Corporate Images and Employee Identification

by Craig Carroll

Organizational Narcissism: Technology, Legitimacy, and Identity In An Indian NGO

by Shiv Ganesh

Corporate communication, ethics, and operational identity: a case study of Benetton

by Janet L. Borgerson

Published citation: Borgerson, J.L., Schroeder, J. E., Escudero Magnusson, M. and Magnusson, F. (2009) “Corporate Communication, Ethics, and Operational Identity: A Case Study of Benetton,” Business Ethics – A European Review, 18(3), 209-223

Strategic Sensemaking Within Funding Relationships: The Effects of Performance Measurement on Organizational Identity in the Social Sector

by Matthew Grimes

published in 'Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice', 2010

Researchers claim that social entrepreneurship represents a new phenomenon within the social sector. Their studies... more Researchers claim that social entrepreneurship represents a new phenomenon within the social sector. Their studies often distinguish social entrepreneurs according to their emphasis on tracking and measuring their performance. By applying sense making theory to three case studies of funding relationships within the social sector, this study finds that organizations within the social sector employ performance measurement not just as a means of accountability, but also as a tool for making sense of social entrepreneurship as an organizational identity. As such, the article refocuses scholarly attention on social entrepreneurship as a socially constructed phenomenon.