Desperately Seeking Legitimacy: Organizational Identity and Emerging Industries

S Clegg, C Rhodes, Martin Kornberger

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    In this article we examine the process of organizational identity formation in emerging industries. We argue that organizational identity is best understood in terms of the relationship between temporal difference (i.e. the performance of a stable identity over time) and spatial difference (i.e. by locating organizational identity in relation to other firms, both similar and different). It is the relationship between these two forms of difference that enables the construction of a legitimate sense of organizational identity. Our discussion is illustrated using empirical material from a study of the emerging industry of business coaching in Australia.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)495-513
    Number of pages19
    JournalOrganization Studies
    Volume28
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Apr 2007

    Keywords

    • organizational identity
    • business coaching
    • emerging industries
    • industry formation
    • IMAGE
    • RESPONSES
    • DYNAMICS
    • CONTEXT

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