Organizational Identity Threats Case Study

Ravasi, D & Schultz, M. (2006). Respond to organizational identity threats: Exploring the role of organizational culture.” Academy of Management Journal, 49 (3), 433–458.

Research Question: The research question under investigation is that how organizations respond to environmental changes that might influence employees to question aspects of organization’s identity, with organizational culture playing a supporting role in organization’s response.

Background: The authors Ravasi and Schultz provides and discuss some of the background studies related to the research question. They specifically point out how employees’ beliefs about central and distinctive attributes of an organization can sway collective self-perceptions (). At the same time,

Furthermore, employees’ perception of how their organization, including B&O, is perceived externally serves as a gauge based on which they evaluate their identity and actions. So, as the employees think about and question organizational identity because of the environmental changes, organizations needs to respond with organizational culture playing the supporting role. “The role of culture in informing and supporting sensemaking and sensegiving processes triggered by external changes that induce members to reevaluate aspects of their organizational identity” ().

Conclusions: Ravasi and Schultz conclude that organizational culture is the “central construct” that can understand and manage the development of organizational identities because of the environmental changes in the organization. Furthermore, they opine that culture can preserve a sense of distinctiveness and continuity among employees even as organizational identity is subjected to reevaluation. Finally, they conclude that culture and external images might mainly play a complementary role in influencing organizational responses to identity

(2012). Strategic (mis) fit: The implementation of TQM in manufacturing organizations. Strategic Management Journal, 33 (11): 1321– 1330.

In the article, Strategic (mis) fit: The implementation of TQM in manufacturing organizations, authors C. D. Zatzick, T. P Moliterno & T. Fang discusses how during TQM implementation, organization need to fit it with its strategic orientation to get positive results.

The article having incorporated the concept of TQM, points out how organizations being a system of interrelated activities, need to achieve a internal fit during TQM implementation, by which the core elements of it are orientated primarily toward a ‘cost leadership’ rather than the ‘differentiation’ strategic position.

Thus, having studied TQM implementation in about 780 manufacturing organizations, the authors assume that TQM is positively connected with performance for the cost leaders, even while negatively related to performance for the differentiators.

The article provides good inputs regarding TQM process, its role, benefits as well as challenges, and so quite apt for further