The following dissertation comprises three studies that aim to better understand organizational identity in the field of U.S. higher education. Research in this area has focused largely on attributes that emphasize college and university distinctiveness, though a good deal of studies in higher education have found that many postsecondary institutions are very alike in their structure and behavior. On the other hand, qualitative research demonstrates that organizational identity helps to explain differences between colleges and universities. The studies herein conceptualize organizational identity as a series of claims about self that balance both sameness and distinctiveness. These studies analyze how organizational identity establishes an institution’s group membership, while distinguishing the institution from colleges and universities in other groups. Manuscripts analyze how organizational identity is associated with action using institutions’ self-selected comparison groups. The first study examines how institutions’ identity claims and aspirational identity claims, measured through their comparison groups, are associated with future action. The second study applies social network analysis techniques to identity communities of colleges and universities that are routinely nominated together. With specific focus on public comprehensive institutions (CIs), this analysis finds salient institutional groups that draw on a common set of organizing principles. CIs, for example, tend to enroll diverse student bodies and maintain low tuition prices when compared with other types of postsecondary institutions. The final study investigates how these common organizing principles influence organizational action in response to their environments. Findings suggest that under the same conditions, CIs enroll more students from low-income backgrounds as a share of their undergraduate bodies when compared with public research universities.

This thesis investigates how New Zealand fashion designers construct and communicate a unique and fluid identity. There are two main focuses of the research. The first is how New Zealand fashion designers build and maintain a unique brand identity in the New Zealand market. This includes an in-depth analysis of the public relations and communication strategies both emerging and established fashion designers use. The second focus is how New Zealand designers communicate their brand identity to export markets. This includes an examination of how the New Zealand national identity has an effect on the communication of their identity in international markets. This research is important as there is little scholarly research on the creative industries in New Zealand, and none on the New Zealand designer fashion industry. Therefore, this research study has been developed to advance literature in this area and provide a basis for further research. While this research study will focus on the New Zealand designer fashion industry, it is hoped that the research will be applicable to other creative industries in New Zealand. A key element of this research is to use the in-depth analysis of the designer fashion industry to provide recommendations on identity management for the New Zealand designer fashion industry and creative industries. Ultimately, this research provides these industries with a practical guide to create and communicate a unique identity in both domestic and export markets. A collective case study method is used to collate the data and is analysed through an interpretive framework. The New Zealand fashion designers that comprise the case studies are Annah Stretton, Robyn Brooks, Jo Robertson, and Cyb le Wiren. Key conclusions are that organisations in the creative industries need to put together an in-depth communications plan as early as possible in their business. This should focus on the creation and communication of a unique and fluid identity in order to differentiate themselves from their competitors and allow them to actively respond to their environment. Industry bodies and New Zealand Trade Enterprise play a key role in the development and export of creative organisations. These organisations need to develop better resources and support systems for the creative industries in order for them to reach their maximum potential.

<p>Dagens organisationer verkar i en allt mer komplex miljö. Samhället och media ställer nya krav där det inte längre räcker att tillfredsställa ägarna och kunder, utan hänsyn måste även tas till allt runt omkring verksamheten. Den här uppsatsen belyser utsuddningen av gränser mellan organisationer och dess omgivning. Genom att analysera identiteten hos Migrationsverket vill vi visa på relationen mellan kultur, identitet och image och hur den processen, integrerar och influeras av de interna och externa aktiviteterna för en organisation.</p><p>Empirin bygger på intervjuer med chefer inom verksamhetsområdet Besök och Bosättning hos Migrationsverket. Genom att använda en intervjumall med olika teman såg vi olika fenomen hos respondenterna. Dessa observationer delades sedan in i gemensamma kategorier som ligger till grund för tolkningen av empirin.</p><p>Migrationsverket upplever många förändringar både internt och externt, men kulturen är djupt rotad och har inte förändrats. Medarbetarna kan inte identifiera sig med omgivningens bild av verket. Organisationens ökade interaktion med omgivningen har inte fungerat på ett tillfredsställande sätt. Istället för att ta intryck av omgivningen och möta en negativ image så har Migrationsverket slutit sig för att skydda sin identitet. Organisationen klarar inte av att vara en både en myndighet och ett tjänsteföretag. Verket fångar inte upp tendenser och uppfattningar i omgivningen, utan har slutit sig för att skydda sin identitet. Att kunna påverka omgivningens uppfattning ses som svårt om inte omöjligt vilket har skapat en osjälvständig organisation som sätter ägarens krav i första hand, på bekostnad av sitt eget välbefinnande.</p> / <p>Today’s organizations are operating in a more complex environment. Society and media makes new demands, and it is no longer enough to satisfy owners and costumers. This paper illustrates the reduction of boarders between organizations and the external environment. By analyzing the identity of Migrationsverket we will illustrate how, the relationship between culture, identity and image, as a process, are integrated and influenced by the internal and external activities of an organization.</p><p>The empiric is found based on interviews with executives at Visiting and Settling, one of the spheres of activities, at Migrationsverket. By using an interview- mold with different themes, we could see different phenomena among the respondents. These observations were then divided into common categories, which built the grounds for the empiric.</p><p>Migrationsverket are going through many changes, both internal and external, but the culture is deeply-rooted and has not changed. Coworkers can not identify with the picture held by the external interested party. The organizations exceeded interaction with the external surrounding has not functioned in a satisfying way. Instead of taking impression of the surrounding and meet a negative image, Migrationsverket has closed itself to protect its identity. The organization can not handle being both an authority and a service organization. Migrationsverket can not capture tendencies and opinions within its surrounding; moreover it has closed itself to protect its identity. The ability to change the opinion of the external environment is seen as difficult, if not impossible, which has created a dependent organization that puts the owners’ demands primarily at the expense of its own well-being.</p>

<p>Abstract</p><p>Title: The picture of the Swedish church - Young peoples image of the organization in comparison with the organizations profile (Bilden av Svenska kyrkan – Unga människors image av organisationen i jämförelse med organisationens profil)</p><p>Number of pages: 55 (57 including enclosures)</p><p>Author: Ebba Göranzon</p><p>Tutor: Göran Svensson</p><p>Course: Media and Communication Studies C</p><p>Period: Fall 2006</p><p>University: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Science, Uppsala University</p><p>Aim: The aim of this essay is to study the external communication of the Swedish Church, and how they want young people (16-18 years old) to perceive them. Further I would like to compare that information with how young people actually perceive the Swedish church. Do the both pictures agree?</p><p>Method/Material: Together with literature studies, a qualitive method has been used and four focus group interviews with a total of 16 informants have been conducted. Two of the groups contained young people that are active within the organization and the two other groups didn’t.</p><p>Main Results: The main results from the focus group interviews showed that young peoples image of the Swedish church is complex. In general, young people, who are active within the Swedish church, have a more positive image of the organization than the others. Despite their positive image, the other groups are more negative in their judgements, which show that the Swedish church still have more to work with until the image and profile comphere with each other.</p><p>Keywords: The Swedish church, organizational identity, profile, image, young pepole</p>

No description available.

Vi vet alla vad en skola är. Det är några byggnader på en skolgård. Samtidigt är skolan i meningen den svenska skolan, mångas angelägenhet. Elever, föräldrar, lärare, skolledning, politiker och näringsliv har alla olikartade förväntningar. I skolans styrdokument formulerar staten både mål och medel för 2000-talets goda skola. Vägen till skolutveckling och måluppfyllelse går via ledarskap och samarbete. Dessa områden behöver betonas och förbättras ute i de olika skolenheterna. Samtidigt som man uppmanar till mångfald, variation och lokala lösningar baserat på idén om målstyrning, lyser två modeller starkt på skolhimlen. Det ena är idén om ledarskap förknippat med den starka, företagslika ledaren. Det andra är arbetslaget som idealmodell för samarbete. Den här doktorsavhandlingen undersöker sambandet mellan ledarskap och samarbete och ställer sig frågorna; vilka uttryck tar sig egentligen ledarskap och samarbete i lokala skolor? kan en skolledning medelst ledarskap påverka samarbete i en lokal skola? Hur går det i så fall till? Studien är gjord i tre grundskolor som representerar tre olika skoltyper. Jämförelsen mellan dessa tre skolor ger underlag till att diskutera olika modeller för organisering och ledning av skolverksamhet. / <p>Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 2003</p>

Dagens organisationer verkar i en allt mer komplex miljö. Samhället och media ställer nya krav där det inte längre räcker att tillfredsställa ägarna och kunder, utan hänsyn måste även tas till allt runt omkring verksamheten. Den här uppsatsen belyser utsuddningen av gränser mellan organisationer och dess omgivning. Genom att analysera identiteten hos Migrationsverket vill vi visa på relationen mellan kultur, identitet och image och hur den processen, integrerar och influeras av de interna och externa aktiviteterna för en organisation. Empirin bygger på intervjuer med chefer inom verksamhetsområdet Besök och Bosättning hos Migrationsverket. Genom att använda en intervjumall med olika teman såg vi olika fenomen hos respondenterna. Dessa observationer delades sedan in i gemensamma kategorier som ligger till grund för tolkningen av empirin. Migrationsverket upplever många förändringar både internt och externt, men kulturen är djupt rotad och har inte förändrats. Medarbetarna kan inte identifiera sig med omgivningens bild av verket. Organisationens ökade interaktion med omgivningen har inte fungerat på ett tillfredsställande sätt. Istället för att ta intryck av omgivningen och möta en negativ image så har Migrationsverket slutit sig för att skydda sin identitet. Organisationen klarar inte av att vara en både en myndighet och ett tjänsteföretag. Verket fångar inte upp tendenser och uppfattningar i omgivningen, utan har slutit sig för att skydda sin identitet. Att kunna påverka omgivningens uppfattning ses som svårt om inte omöjligt vilket har skapat en osjälvständig organisation som sätter ägarens krav i första hand, på bekostnad av sitt eget välbefinnande. / Today’s organizations are operating in a more complex environment. Society and media makes new demands, and it is no longer enough to satisfy owners and costumers. This paper illustrates the reduction of boarders between organizations and the external environment. By analyzing the identity of Migrationsverket we will illustrate how, the relationship between culture, identity and image, as a process, are integrated and influenced by the internal and external activities of an organization. The empiric is found based on interviews with executives at Visiting and Settling, one of the spheres of activities, at Migrationsverket. By using an interview- mold with different themes, we could see different phenomena among the respondents. These observations were then divided into common categories, which built the grounds for the empiric. Migrationsverket are going through many changes, both internal and external, but the culture is deeply-rooted and has not changed. Coworkers can not identify with the picture held by the external interested party. The organizations exceeded interaction with the external surrounding has not functioned in a satisfying way. Instead of taking impression of the surrounding and meet a negative image, Migrationsverket has closed itself to protect its identity. The organization can not handle being both an authority and a service organization. Migrationsverket can not capture tendencies and opinions within its surrounding; moreover it has closed itself to protect its identity. The ability to change the opinion of the external environment is seen as difficult, if not impossible, which has created a dependent organization that puts the owners’ demands primarily at the expense of its own well-being.

Abstract Title: The picture of the Swedish church - Young peoples image of the organization in comparison with the organizations profile (Bilden av Svenska kyrkan – Unga människors image av organisationen i jämförelse med organisationens profil) Number of pages: 55 (57 including enclosures) Author: Ebba Göranzon Tutor: Göran Svensson Course: Media and Communication Studies C Period: Fall 2006 University: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Science, Uppsala University Aim: The aim of this essay is to study the external communication of the Swedish Church, and how they want young people (16-18 years old) to perceive them. Further I would like to compare that information with how young people actually perceive the Swedish church. Do the both pictures agree? Method/Material: Together with literature studies, a qualitive method has been used and four focus group interviews with a total of 16 informants have been conducted. Two of the groups contained young people that are active within the organization and the two other groups didn’t. Main Results: The main results from the focus group interviews showed that young peoples image of the Swedish church is complex. In general, young people, who are active within the Swedish church, have a more positive image of the organization than the others. Despite their positive image, the other groups are more negative in their judgements, which show that the Swedish church still have more to work with until the image and profile comphere with each other. Keywords: The Swedish church, organizational identity, profile, image, young pepole

I dagens samhälle väljer många företag inom klädbranschen att presentera en hållbarhetsredovisning, angående företagets arbete för hållbar utveckling. Hållbarhetsredovisningen kan beskrivas som en viktig del av den strategi som används i syfte att profilera organisationen som socialt ansvarstagande. Däremot blir informationen som redovisas mer och mer omfattande för varje år, samtidigt som en färsk granskningsrapport visar att klädbranschens hållbarhetsarbete inte motsvarar den önskvärda utvecklingen. Den senaste tidens omfattande redovisningen kan därför diskuteras, om det är en form av fasadbygge, eller om redovisningen ändå kan uppfattas som legitim och trovärdig? Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka den interna kommunikationens betydelse för hållbarhetsredovisningens trovärdighet. Tre klädkedjor som verkar på den svenska marknaden har därmed undersökts och studien grundar sig på ett socialkonstruktivistiskt förhållningssätt, där subjektiva tolkningar är tillåtna. Studiens resultat visar att den interna kommunikationen har betydelse för hur hållbarhetsarbetet förmedlas till företagens intressenter och därmed kan medarbetarnas egen uppfattning av identiteten inverka på redovisningens trovärdighet. Genom denna undersökning finner vi även att hållbarhetsredovisningen framförallt är ledningens sak, varför hållbarhetsarbetet kan behöva förmedlas genom fler kommunikationskanaler för att inte bara framstå som en fin fasad. Ett främjande av den interna kommunikationen bör därmed utvecklas så att medarbetarna kan ge tyngd åt informationen som presenteras i redovisningen. På så vis kan den interna kommunikationen skapa betydelse för hållbarhetsredovisningens trovärdighet.

This doctoral thesis examines the construct of organizational identity of knowledge workers involved in a merger or acquisition, to gain insights into the complex social-behavioural responses of participants to perceptions of imposed integration of social groups. Following a qualitative case study methodology, this study used observation and interview data collection to capture the authentic experiences of participants from the host firm, and from the two acquired groups. The central curiosity guiding this study asked if continuity in subordinate identities, that transition relatively seamlessly from acquired to host organizations, offers the same adaptive or insulating effect against identity threat as superordinate identification. The central thesis proposed that despite the relative consistency between subgroup identities, the involuntary introduction of new members into a work team would continue to arouse perceptions of identity threat and provoke associated efforts to resist assimilation through withholding cohesion-building behaviours. The data were analysed using Atlas-ti to draw out key themes and patterns. The results suggested a relationship between the different integration strategies applied to the two acquisitions, and the participants’ perceptions of the integration. The data also suggested a relationship between levels of identity and reluctance to extend and engage in cohesion-building behaviours among host and adopted participants. Serendipitous findings pointed to potential triggers for the identity-related resistance, that most notably included status and dominance confusion that interfered with perceptions of identity continuity, and resistance to over-inclusion in superordinate and principle identities that lacked salience and distinctiveness. This paper introduced two new concepts to the field of identity research, including principle identity, and resistance to cohesion building behaviors. This paper also examined the perspectives of knowledge workers, as a distinctive cohort, to gain some insights into if and how a merger of like-professionals is experienced uniquely. Finally, the qualitative case study methodology offered an opportunity to examine the macro-economic contexts of the two acquisitions for relevance, and these contexts were found to be significant to a holistic understanding of the experiences of the integrations. / qualitative case study