What is organizational identity and what have blogs to do with this?
February 1, 2007 on 9:09 pm by Thomas | In Science | 13 CommentsSpending my days in the library and reeling in between insight and confusion, I’d just like to use this as a little sketch of what organization identity might be, in science and in practice.
Science
Ever since the ground-breaking article by Albert & Whetten, defining organizational identity as what is central, distinctive and enduring about an organization, a wide range of scholars have emerged, trying to theoretically describe and analyze this field. In their views, organizational identity serves as a cognitive frame for understanding reality, as shared assumptions about the world that lead to collective actions (just like in organizational culture), as a discourse about sense and reality (therefore there can be multiple identities to organizations), as collective claims about the contents of the organization and room for personal identification (e.g. “I am with Boston Consulting now, boy, I’m proud, we are so going to do a good job on this project!” social identity theory).
This can be found in organizational artifacts, like documents, visions and mission statements, but also in email exchanges or conversations, basically in any kind of communication – also in weblogs. A very interesting idea is looking for identity in narrations which are basically stories or conversations about organization (Brown and Czarniawska are known for that and here’s a cool narration about the company ERCO in a weblog with discourse).
And while I am still trying to understand, more and more a systemic approach seems to be able to integrate the various fields:
1.) The boundaries of an organization are the frontiers of its identity. What is perceived and what not, who is a member and who not (because he or she not does not meet the shared expectations), the unique form and set, that differentiates an organization from its environment are clearly what makes it distinct from all other organizations that thus become environment.
2.) Organizations are autopoietic social systems that keep themselves alive by communication and decisions, always reproducing their boundaries and creating possibilities for connecting operations. That is what is enduring about an organization, the necessity to connect the operations to the past and create possibilities for the future.
3.) Social systems exist to reduce complexity and therefore create boundaries to decide what is relevant and what not and in what it is perceived. Identity is the central medium in which decisions can be made, it shapes a space of contingent possibilities and reduces complexity. It’s like shared views of the world, things that “don’t need to be mentioned” or actions “you just don’t do” (e.g. some organizations might be tough on crime, like corruption, others might consider it for the good of the firm – the trick is to understand that it’s not alone people that make decisions, but that the exact same person might act differently in different environments, like using corruption or violence or not)
4.) Construction identity is an ongoing, self-reflective process, it’s a self-observation and thus always has a blind spot. Organizational identity cannot be perceived to its full extent from the inside of the organization. But neither from the outside, there will always be something missing. Dissapointing but true.
Organizational identity in practice
..means the usage of identity or what is claimed than to be identity. Corporate identity tries to shape a consistent image for the outer side of organization, controlling every interconnection from the inside to the outside: Buying awareness as advertising, shaping products, trying to control what the media say, educating staff how to communicate with the outsiders.
Using identiy on the inside is a matter of power: Who is powerful enough to decide what is central and distinctive? Which people stay long enough to make it enduring? How much tension is an organization able to take before fights burst out, not only about interests but also about what holds the team together and what common goals unite the members?
Conclusion
On a theoretical level many approaches to identity can be integrated by a systemic view that sees organization as self-referential, autopoietic social system that uses identity to maintain its boundaries and as a medium for communication and decision. It can be found in organizational communication like mission statements, blogs or conversations.
On a practical level, these blogs can be a decisive point for discourse about organization: They create public awareness and places for communication that have not been existed before. They change the boundaries and the power balances because public communication about organization that for a long time has been the central domain for corporate communication now becomes available to everyone, members or stakeholders of the organization.
1.) Weblogs can be a source for analysis about organizational narrations or even discourse about what is central, distinctive and enduring.
2.) Weblogs shift the power of deciding about the content of organizational meaning and behaviour because they create a public space for communication
3.) Let alone the way of dealing with weblogs (offensive, defensive, ignoring, open or controlling) is organizational practice that tells us about organizational rules, power, worldviews and attitudes.
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na diss klingt doch schon rund und du hast dieses schwammige orgaIDblogdingens geknackt und verpackt! hut ab*hut auf!
Comment by Fran — 2/2/2007 #
Thomas, what an amazing post.
I had a really interesting chat with a design / artist friend last night. She is confused about where to take her talents (of which she has many) and was asking me what direction she should be taking in life. Obviously, I can only make the most vague recommendations, but asked her ‘what is the conversation you want to have with me in one year?’ – and we discussed what kind of seating posture she would like, tone of voice, whether she would be asking me design questions or trying to get me on board her project.
Why am I saying this? I think that blogs can be rather like a conversation for an organisation… so it would be rather interesting to use blogs and the tonal manner that an organisation would like to take (tone of voice, corporate ‘posture’ and so on) in the future, and use that as a strategic tool for planning.
What do you want to be saying on your blog in one year? How do you want to say it? What is the reaction you want?
cheers!
Jonathan
Comment by Jonathan Biddle — 2/2/2007 #
[...] In eigener Sache: Auf stylewalker.net habe ich eine Kurzversion meiner vor dem Abschluss stehenden Magisterarbeit (auf englisch) veröffentlicht, die das Thema “Zum Beitrag von Weblogs zur Konstitution einer Organisationsidentität” tragen soll, oder auch knackiger: “Der Blick ins Netz aufs Wir”. Über Kritik, Anregungen und Kommentare freue ich bei diesem Beitrag besonders: What is organizational identity and what have blogs to do with this? [...]
Pingback by www.meinungsmacherblog.de » Blog Archive » Was ist Organisationsidentität und was haben Weblogs damit zu tun? — 5/2/2007 #
%% In their views, organizational identity serves as a cognitive frame for understanding reality, as shared assumptions about the world that lead to collective actions (just like in organizational culture), %%
Ein Frage, die sich einem Nichteingeweihten wie mir stellt: Was unterscheidet die “organizational identity” von der “organizational culture”?
Comment by ulysses — 5/2/2007 #
Gute Frage. Wirklich nicht leicht zu trennen, vor allem wenn man beide aus dem Aspekt der Steuerungsfunktion betrachtet. Beides sind ja am Ende nichts anderes als Metaphern für Organisation, um diese besser zu beschreiben.
Identität ist abstrakter, während Kultur als ethnologisches Konzept von vornherein auf Gruppen angewendet wird. Identität funktioniert auch in der Mathematik, der Psychologie, der Systemtheorie..
Paetow bearbeitet beide Konzepte in seiner Diss:
http://deposit.ddb.de/cgi-bin/dokserv?idn=974451789&dok_var=d1&dok_ext=pdf&filename=974451789.pdf
trennt sie aber nicht sehr scharf voneinander, ihm fällt lediglich auf, dass der Kulturansatz stark in der Managementliteratur rezipiert wurde und betrachtet sie anschließend systemtheoretisch.
Die OKulturliteratur wesentlich konsistenter und bezieht sich vor allem auf das 3 Schichten Modell von Schein http://www.valuebasedmanagement.net/methods_schein_three_levels_culture.html
Die Literatur zur Organisationsidentität ist wesentlich uneinheitlicher, eventuell kann man das Kulturkonzept aber in eine übergreifende Theorie der Identität einbetten, wobei wahrscheinlich wieder die Systemtheorie einen Rahmen bieten könnte..
Comment by Thomas Praus — 5/2/2007 #
Ach, noch was: Kultur ist für mich verhaltensrelevant, Identität findet sich eher in Gesprächen und Diskursen. Kultur ist wie man die Dinge tut, Identität wer man ist. Was natürlich immer noch nicht besonders trennscharf ist.
Comment by Thomas — 23/3/2007 #
[...] Julie, thank you for the picture!I have to admit: I really love that place. My flatmates just ran off to make their first visit to Cookies but this time I be a good boy and stay home. Science wants me tomorrow. But since the opening party two months ago, I guess I have been there six or seven times and it has always been great. Seeing people I do not normally meet, enjoying the special, hedonistic atmosphere and listening to really great music. [...]
Pingback by Stylewalker.Net - Berlin. Barcelona. The Net. » Cookies revisited — 23/3/2007 #
[...] Yesterday I was browsing the blogosphere and ended up with a very thougtful journal posted by Thomas on his blog. He talked about organisational identity and how blogs can help firms in creating identified employees. The topic should be must read for someone who is interested in corporate blogs. If possible try reading the book “Identity in Organizations” edited by Whetten and Godfrey. A serious organisational blogger should read this book. [...]
Pingback by Managing Communications » Blogs and organisational identity — 6/4/2007 #
[...] and organisational identity April 22, 2007 Posted by moinul in Communications, About Blogs. trackback Yesterday I was browsing the blogosphere and ended up with a very thougtful journal posted byThomas on his blog. He talked about organisational identity and how blogs can help firms in creating identified employees. The topic is a must read for someone who is interested in corporate blogs. If possible try reading the book “Identity in Organizations” edited by Whetten and Godfrey. A serious organisational blogger should read this book. [...]
Pingback by Blogs and organisational identity « Confessions of a blogging mind — 23/4/2007 #
[...] 2007: What is organizational identity and what have blogs to do with this? Ein Zwischenstand der Forschungsbemühungen, wo mir die Richtung erst richtig klar [...]
Pingback by Stylewalker - Don't take it too seriously, never underestimate it » Der Blick ins Netz aufs Wir: Organisationsidentität und Weblogs — 16/6/2008 #
Hi people
As newly registered user i only wanted to say hello to everyone else who uses this site
Comment by Gaiskincicimb — 19/12/2008 #
Hello!
Very Interesting post! Thank you for such interesting resource!
PS: Sorry for my bad english, I’v just started to learn this language
See you!
Your, Raiul Baztepo
Comment by RaiulBaztepo — 29/3/2009 #
[...] ein Auslandsjahr, für Reisen, für viel Arbeiten neben dem Studium und vor allen Dingen mit viel Recherche und Kopfarbeit für die Magisterarbeit. Dafür haben Bachelorstudenten, deren Lehrpläne mit dem Stoff eines [...]
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