Abstract
D. Phil.
Whetten (1985), Dutton and Dukerich (1991) and Van Tonder (1987; 1999; 2004a).
Organisation identity is often simply described as the distinctive character of the organisation
and more formally defined as the core, unique, enduring and unifying features of the organisation.
Labich (1994) argued that it is a central factor in corporate failure, while De Geus (1997)
concluded that organisation identity is a critical factor in long-living organisations, but
empirical research on organisation identity is exceptionally rare. In particular, the organisation
identity–performance relationship, which raises and illuminates the relevance of the organisation
identity construct, especially at an applied level and from the perspective of organisational
management, has not received formal research attention.
The present study was expressly concerned with the relevance of the organisation identity construct
and specifically investigated the relationship between organisation identity and organisational
performance. It elaborates on an earlier empirical study by Van Tonder (1999), which indicated
that organisation identity relates to several critical organisational variables, including
organisational culture, institutional focus, lifecycle stage, and organisational performance, and
which suggested the relevance of the construct. The present study aimed to isolate and illuminate
the key variables of organisation identity and organisational performance in order to study and
clarify the relationship between these constructs.
Consistent with a growing trend towards non-participation, only three of the organisations that
were approached eventually participated in the research. Predominantly quantitative in approach,
the study used an adapted organisation identity questionnaire (cf. Van Tonder, 1999) together with
an organisational performance questionnaire (the PI or Performance Index) (Spannenberg & Theron,
2002). Results from the 274 respondents revealed that organisation identity – both the
‘fact-of-identity’ and the organisational ‘sense-of-identity’ – are directly and indirectly related
to the organisation’s performance. It was concluded that these findings are significant from the
perspectives of the construct’s relevance to science, theory confirmation and building and at an
applied (organisational managerial) level.
The findings and their implications for continued research are discussed.