Chapter 3: “All for One or One for All?”: Examining Collective and Comparative Discourse In an Organizational Name Change Debate

How do organizations determine their identity? Organizational identity is traditionally defined as members’ views of what is central to an organization and what distinguishes an organization from others (Albert & Whetten, 1985; Corley & Gioia, 2004). Researchers have also defined it as temporary, context-sensitive, and composed of an evolving set of constructions that are fluid in nature, given that an organization interacts with other organizations, groups, and individuals, as well as its constantly changing environmental context (Ashforth, 1998; Gioia, Scultz, & Corley, 2000). Thus, identity is “interorganizational” in nature (Albert, Ashforth, & Dutton, 2000; Brickson, 2007), reflecting issues pertaining to who we are as well as who we are in relation to others. As such, we must acknowledge that organizations are composed of a multiplicity of actors and surrounded by multiple external constituents and stakeholders that can have multiple interpretations of what an organization is about: its purpose, mission, and functions, as well as who an organization’s members are. So, again, how does an organization determine its identity considering both the fluidity of environments and relationships as well as the multiplicity of actors involved? Theories persist about the nature of this complexity as well as the type of concerns that organizational members grapple with when considering identity, particularly in relation to other organizations. What can this complexity in identity construction processes look like? This is a motivating question for the current study.