Exploring the identity and "sense of identity" of organisations.
- Authors: Van Tonder, C.L.
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Organisation identity , Organisational self-descriptions , Sense of identity
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:6485 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/1497
- Description: During the past two decades a steady increase in scholarly contributions in the area of organisation identity have been observed – to the point that the phenomenon is now the subject of a sustainable discourse in several disciplines. Many theoretical and conceptual dilemmas however remain, largely as a result of the low incidence of empirical research in the area. This study reports the results of an exploratory investigation that adapted Schley and Wagenfield’s (1979) concept of identity for use in an organisational setting. Interviews were conducted with 152 top managers representing 10 companies. The results indicate that organisational responses to the question “who am I?" elicit distinctive organisational self-descriptions and some awareness of identity issues.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Van Tonder, C.L.
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Organisation identity , Organisational self-descriptions , Sense of identity
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:6485 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/1497
- Description: During the past two decades a steady increase in scholarly contributions in the area of organisation identity have been observed – to the point that the phenomenon is now the subject of a sustainable discourse in several disciplines. Many theoretical and conceptual dilemmas however remain, largely as a result of the low incidence of empirical research in the area. This study reports the results of an exploratory investigation that adapted Schley and Wagenfield’s (1979) concept of identity for use in an organisational setting. Interviews were conducted with 152 top managers representing 10 companies. The results indicate that organisational responses to the question “who am I?" elicit distinctive organisational self-descriptions and some awareness of identity issues.
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From identity to organisation identity: the evolution of a concept.
- Van Tonder, C.L., Lessing, B.C.
- Authors: Van Tonder, C.L. , Lessing, B.C.
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Organisation identity , Organisational success
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://ujcontent.uj.ac.za8080/10210/377209 , uj:6482 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/1494
- Description: The view that corporate and/or organisation identity is a contributing factor to organisational success, is increasingly observed in the media. At the same time research interest in the concept appears to be on the increase. While identity is not a novel concept and has presented in different forms, it remains shrouded in ambiguity and is in need of more precise articulation. The present study revisited the origins of the identity concept and reviewed various perspectives on identity. A specific meaning structure and theoretical framework for the organization identity concept is proposed and it is concluded that contemporary views of identity are increasingly embracing earlier psychological perspectives.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Van Tonder, C.L. , Lessing, B.C.
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Organisation identity , Organisational success
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://ujcontent.uj.ac.za8080/10210/377209 , uj:6482 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/1494
- Description: The view that corporate and/or organisation identity is a contributing factor to organisational success, is increasingly observed in the media. At the same time research interest in the concept appears to be on the increase. While identity is not a novel concept and has presented in different forms, it remains shrouded in ambiguity and is in need of more precise articulation. The present study revisited the origins of the identity concept and reviewed various perspectives on identity. A specific meaning structure and theoretical framework for the organization identity concept is proposed and it is concluded that contemporary views of identity are increasingly embracing earlier psychological perspectives.
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The relationship between organisation identity and organisational performance
- Authors: Sugreen, Gulshan
- Date: 2012-06-06
- Subjects: Organisation identity , Corporate image , Organisational effectiveness , Success in business
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:2518 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4973
- Description: 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.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Sugreen, Gulshan
- Date: 2012-06-06
- Subjects: Organisation identity , Corporate image , Organisational effectiveness , Success in business
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:2518 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4973
- Description: 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.
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At the confluence of organisation development (OD) and organisationa identity theory (OIT): enter identity interventions.
- Authors: Van Tonder, C.L.
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Corporate identity , Organisation identity , Identity interventions , Organisational capacity
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:6484 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/1496
- Description: The identity concept has been around in the form of “corporate identity" for some time, but its appearance as “organisation identity" is more recent. Emerging theory and initial empirical research suggest that an identity approach and “identity interventions" in particular, offer promising avenues to the organisation development practitioner for enhancing organisational focus, building resilience in the face of major change, and improving performance. Identity interventions in and of themselves, but also employed as pre-change interventions, build organisational capacity that would stave off premature organisational “death" and extend the organisation’s life expectancy.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Van Tonder, C.L.
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Corporate identity , Organisation identity , Identity interventions , Organisational capacity
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:6484 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/1496
- Description: The identity concept has been around in the form of “corporate identity" for some time, but its appearance as “organisation identity" is more recent. Emerging theory and initial empirical research suggest that an identity approach and “identity interventions" in particular, offer promising avenues to the organisation development practitioner for enhancing organisational focus, building resilience in the face of major change, and improving performance. Identity interventions in and of themselves, but also employed as pre-change interventions, build organisational capacity that would stave off premature organisational “death" and extend the organisation’s life expectancy.
- Full Text:
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