Organizational Identity Evolving: Developing a Process Model

Abstract

Existing research regarding organizational identity are dominated by comparative static, cross-sectional, variance based, approaches in which identity at a point-in-time outcome is the focus of explanation. But this tells us little about the development of identify because it is a process that until recently has not been studied processually. These tell us little about the ongoing process of organizational identity development and the underlying forces shaping the way it changes and develops over time. This requires the development of process theories and methods that focus on the temporal sequence of events taking place and the mechanisms and processes driving this. I discuss the nature of process theory and a research methodology for developing such theories based on the analysis of case histories. I propose a research framework to develop a process theory of evolving organizational identity based on an analysis of specific context. It involves: (a) identifying and conceptualizing the sequence of key events or critical incidents taking place in time and space and how they are interconnected; (b) and, identifying and conceptualizing the causal mechanisms connecting events and driving the process