Analyzing the formation of a paradoxical organizational identity

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to understand the construction process of an organizational identity in a hybrid organization.

Design/methodology/approach

The author developed a single case study based on in-depth interviews, non-participant observations and document analysis in a credit cooperative.

Findings

After periods of changes in organizational identity (from idealism to pragmatism), the formation of a paradoxical organizational identity was observed in which the core value became a central polarity between idealism and pragmatism; after periods when members engaged in actions that promoted resistance or change, they framed past events in a story of stable dynamics between idealism and pragmatism; and pro-distinctiveness and -similarity forces in relation to other organizations were reconciled in a quest for optimal distinctiveness that simultaneously enabled the development of uniqueness and adequacy.

Originality/value

This is the first study to adopt a paradox perspective to analyze the identity of a cooperative.

Citation

Felix, B. (2020), "Analyzing the formation of a paradoxical organizational identity", International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Vol. 28 No. 6, pp. 1227-1241. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-08-2019-1849