Classifying Managerial Responses to Multiple Organizational Identities

Abstract

Drawing on insights from organizational behavior and theory, we examine the phenomenon of multiple organizational identities and how they can be managed in organizations. Specifically, we suggest that multiple organizational identities can be managed by changing the number of (identity plurality) or the relationships between (identity synergy) the identities, and offer a classification scheme that identifies four major types of managerial responses: compartmentalization, deletion, integration, and aggregation. In addition, we suggest several key conditions that affect the use and appropriateness of these identity management responses, and we develop a series of testable propositions for future research.