Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study examined organisational identity from a substantive and methodological point of view. With
the burgeoning interest in the organisational identity construct, there have been a multitude of
perspectives and meanings associated with the term. These perspectives formed the basis of three
juxtapositions used to evaluate the nature of knowledge generated by various research designs used to
study organisational identity. These designs included survey design, content analysis, case study
design, ethnography, narrative analysis and discourse analysis. I concluded that the choice for a
particular research design does constrain or make possible the generation of different types of
knowledge regarding OI. The effect of design type has long been suspected and argued for, and this
study provides further substantiation for this view. The choice of research design is not a neutral one
but plays an integral role in the nature of the knowledge generated, and should be taken seriously as
part of the research process.
Also from a methodological perspective, the aim was to explore whether an Internet-based, open-ended
qualitative survey could provide a suitable description of organisational identity, and whether it would be
possible to develop identity narratives from these responses. Data was gathered in a South African based
multi-national engineering firm, the result of a recent merger of two engineering firms. Based on the
responses to the survey, I was able to develop descriptive narratives of each of (what had been termed) the
heritage organisations, each narrative comprising a series of inter-related identity statements capturing
various facets of organisation identity. Three broad narratives for each heritage organisation dealt with the
nature of the organisation and its position in the market, the importance of the profession and clients, and
the value of people in the organisation.
Given the pervasive nature of technology, and that work in many corporate and professional settings is
conducted via the internet, an internet-based qualitative survey allows information regarding
organisational identity to be gathered fairly easily. The research undertaken in this study thus adds to the
body of knowledge surrounding the use of a web-based qualitative survey in accessing organisational
identity, and suggests that this form of data gathering in the organisation can be successful, provided that
participants are computer literate and have access to the Internet.
The organisations in question were chosen as merger partners due to their similarity, and using the
descriptive narratives developed from the survey, I was able to examine the question of distinctiveness in
similar organisations, which has not yet been addressed. Despite the similarities, the identity of both
organisations was arguably distinct, and this could be traced to two factors. The first was an element of
social actor, in this case the size of the organisation, which coupled with other factors influenced
organisation identity in very specific ways. Secondly, distinctiveness arose from the construction of
meaning around specific elements of the social actor by members of the organisations. Thus, much like
personal identity, organisational identity is associated with similarity and difference (Buckingham 2008). / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: g
Hierdie studie het ten doel gehad om the konsep van organisasie-identiteit te ondersoek vanuit ‘n
substantiewe en metodologiese hoek. Die groeiende belangstelling in die konstruk van organisasieidentiteit,
gee aanleiding daartoe dat meervuldige perspektiewe en betekenisse aan die term gegee
word. Hierdie verskillende perspektiewe vorm die basis van drie naasmekaarstellings wat gebruik word
om die aard van kennis, wat geskep word deur verskillende navorsingsontwerpe in die studie van
organisasie-identiteit, behoorlik te bestudeer. Hierdie navorsingsontwerpe sluit in opnamestudies,
inhoudsanalise, gevallestudies, etnografiese studies, teksontledings en diskoers analise. Ek het tot die
gevolgtrekking gekom dat die keuse van ‘n bepaalde navorsingsontwerp weliswaar beperkend of
fasiliterend van aard kan wees in die skep van verskillende kennisbasisse rondom organisasie-identiteit.
Die impak van die tipe navorsingsontwerp word lankal reeds vermoed, en hierdie studie lewer verdere
ondersteuning vir hierdie standpunt. Die keuse van ‘n navorsingsontwerp is nie neutraal nie maar speel
‘n integrale rol in die aard van die kennis wat geskep word en behoort aandag te geniet in the
navorsingsproses.
Vanuit ‘n metodologiese perspektief was die doelwit ook om te bepaal of ‘n internet-gebaseerde, oopeinde
kwalitatiewe opname, ‘n toepaslike beskrywing en begrip van organisasie-identiteit kan lewer en
of dit moontlik sou wees om identiteits-ontledings vanuit hierdie response te genereer. Data opnames is
gedoen in ‘n Suid-Afrika-gebaseerde internasionale ingenieurskonsultasiefirma, wat bestaan uit twee
saamgesmelte firmas. Die response uit die opname het my toegelaat om beskrywende narratiewe van
beide die oorspronklike organisasies te ontwikkel. Elk van hierdie bestaan uit ‘n reeks van
interafhanklike stellings oor identiteit wat die verskeie fasette van organisasie-identiteit verwoord. Daar
was drie narratiewe vir elkeen van die oorspronklike organisasies en hierdie het gefokus op die aard en
markposisionering van die organisasie, die belangrikheid van die professie en kliente en die waarde van
mense binne die organisasie.
Gegewe die deurtastende aard van tegnologie in veral korporatiewe en professionele omstandighede,
sal ‘n internet-gebaseerde kwalitatiewe opname die verkryging van inligting rondom organisasie
identiteit vergemaklik. Die navorsing onderneem in hierdie studie dra dus by tot ons begrip van die
toepassing van internet-gebaseerde kwalitatiewe opnames in die taksering van organisasie identiteit.
Dit dui aan dat hierdie vorm van data-insameling in ‘n organisasie sukesvol kan wees indien die
respondente rekenaarvaardig is en toegang tot die internet het. Die organisasies wat in die studie gebruik is, het tot ‘n groot mate saamgesmelt aan die hand van hulle
soortgelyke aard en waardes. Deur die beskrywende narratiewe te gebruik wat uit die opname
ontwikkel is, kon ek die vraagstuk van onderskeidenheid in soortgelyke organisasies ondersoek, wat tot
op daardie stadium nie gedoen was nie. Ongeag die ooreenkomste, is bevind dat die identiteit van beide
die organisasies wel merkbaar verskil en dat dit toegeskryf kan word aan twee faktore. Die eerste
hiervan is geeien as ‘n sosiale agent, in hierdie geval die grootte van die organisasie, wat tesame met
ander faktore die organisasie-identiteit op spesifieke manier beinvloed het. Die tweede faktor onstaan
uit die konstruksie van betekenis rondom spesifieke elemente van die sosiale agent deur lede van die
organisasies. Dit is dus duidelik dat organisasie-identiteit, soos persoonlike identiteit, geassosieer word
met ooreenkomste en verskille (Buckingham 2008)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/97031 |
| Date | 04 1900 |
| Creators | Crafford, Anne |
| Contributors | Mouton, Johann, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 324 pages |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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