organizational identity

Chapter 5 in the text focuses on organizational identity. The authors defined organizational identification this way, "A person identifies with an organization when he or she seeks to select alternatives with the interests of the organization--as best they can be determined--uppermost in mind" (p. 114).

As an employee in an organization, I've never been overly enthusiastic about identifying with the organization. Developing a sense of community is important, but I like having "me" at least somewhat separate from the organizations in which I'm embedded. Still, in a place like SJSU with commuter students, faculty, and staff, creating community and organizational identity can prove challenging.

Recently the department embarked on an initiative to examine its curriculum. As part of interrogating the program, faculty also developed a tagline (Listen • Speak • Engage), a tagline image (aka, our logo), and revamped the department website. Although the outcome was important because we now have tangible representation of who were are as a department, what brought us together more, and encouraged identification with the organization, was the process. We worked as a group to come up with the tagline. For our tagline image, one of our graduate students (a graphic designer in a previous life) took us through 3 rounds of ideas until we identified an image we all liked. For the department website, we integrated that image along with our renewed commitment to making program information more accessible. And students have noticed this. Several have told me Listen • Speak • Engage is "everywhere" and they say it helps them articulate what it means to major in communication studies. I have no interest in assimilation, but I do want students, faculty, and staff to feel like they have a stake in the department.

~ Professor Cyborg