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How Do I Know Who You Think You Are? A Review of Research Methods on Organizational Identity
Author(s) -
Ravasi Davide,
Canato Anna
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
international journal of management reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.475
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1468-2370
pISSN - 1460-8545
DOI - 10.1111/ijmr.12008
Subject(s) - organizational identity , identity (music) , epistemology , sociology , organizational studies , organizational culture , public relations , psychology , social psychology , political science , organizational commitment , philosophy , aesthetics
The notion of organizational identity was introduced in management studies in 1985. In the following 25 years, a vibrant debate about how to conceptualize organizational identities and related themes (multiple identities, identity change, interrelations between identity, image and culture) does not seem to have corresponded to explicit reflections about specific methodological issues. In this paper, the authors inductively review research methods adopted by studies of organizational identity published in top‐level journals, with the purpose of deriving insights about the current status of research practices, uncovering their often tacit ontological and epistemological assumptions, and stimulating discussion about their possible evolution.