Organizational Identity

Organizational Identity is defined as the members' collective, shared sense of who they are as an organization, collectively understood by an organization's members to be central, distinctive and enduring, collective-level, emergent and aspect of firm.

Identification, on the other hand, is the degree to which a member defines him or herself by the same attributes that he or she believes define the organization. The images that members hold of their organizations are unique to each member. It is also important to note that a person's beliefs may or may not match the collective organizational identity.

Both internal perception and perceptions of external opinions are formed through a process of ambiguity and sensemaking.

Key papers include:

• Dutton, Dukerich and Harquail 1994 
• Elsbach and Kramer 1996
• Pratt 2000
• Corley and Gioia 2004

(Adapted from course notes)

(Flashcards and other resources here)