How is the very idea of identity historically and culturally embedded/situated?  Why does that matter?

"Identity [is] largely ascribed to the individual by the social group" that he/she is part of (Cheney, et. al., 110).  Each individual attempts to form his/her own identity, but we would be remiss if we did not consider that we often form our identities in conjunction with various groups that we perceive reflect our fundamental notions of "self."  Historically and culturally, we search to have our behaviors and beliefs validated by those around us.  "A fact that remains is just how dependent an identity is on its surroundings" (Cheney, et. al., 108).                                                                           

"No man is an island."  However, several islands do compose an archipelago.  While individuals may maintain their own distinct views, behaviors, and assumptions, one can not perpetuate their own identity unless a unified message is created and held by a collective group of individuals.  There is power in numbers, and in order to gain popular support for a certain paradigm, a large base of support is needed.  Through these widely held understandings by the collective, individual identities are then reflected and provided in conjunction with the unified message.  Basically, individuals express their eccentricities through their membership with other like-minded entities. 

            When we commit ourselves to a certain identity, we are quick to maintain that identity through various efforts.  Organizations  will often try to foster the development of this identity through an array of strategies.  Organizational identity is shaped and maintained by its surroundings, whether it be the individuals that hold firm to this identity or those that denounce it.  Each factor plays an integral part.  Thus, this once reiterates that no man, or organization for that matter, is an island.

            Individuals that work for an organization are key in maintaining an identity, because they are who present the general populace with perceived notions.  We must not forget that the organization itself is a culture.  Through various organizational efforts, individuals working for a certain organization hope to perpetuate a desired cultural belief system about the behaviors and values of their company. “The organization has articulated a set of deeply ingrained operating rules or guidelines for behaviors and actions of members of the organization. Once articulated, these values act as a set of choice principles for individuals to help them decide among behavior alternatives” (Organizational Identity). 

The goal of the organization, then, is to foster and mold individual identities into a larger representation of the organization as a whole─or a cultural model.  What do we wish to communicate to the general public?  How can we insure that our employees maintain this identity in and outside of the workplace; how do we have our employees effectively communicate what our company TRULY embodies?  In order to successfully reach their surroundings (the populace) this identity has to be distinct and raise no questions about agenda or attitude. 

            Further, the general populace helps shape the identity of an organization.  “Organizations draw their external stakeholders into a personal relationship with them [in order to] allow [them] access that expands their boundaries and thereby changes their organizational self-definitions” (Hatch) For example, if the general public, is not responding favorably to a message an organization is perpetuating, the public will let their discontent be known.  Because of this dissatisfaction, the structure and aim of the message may be reevaluated by the organization in order to better communicate and foster a more meaningful relationship with their audience.  Knowing how the general public, or the varying cultural forces of an organization's surroundings, influence an organization will help to build and refine a distinct organizational identity.

            Overall,  is shaped by culture and history.  History shapes culture, and culture shapes organizations, whether it be the culture of the organization's workers or that of the general populace.  Being conscious of how identity is culturally and historically shaped will allow for the betterment of the messages an organization presents to both its employees and its public.

Works Cited

Hatch, Mary Jo. “The Dynamics of Organizational Identity.” Human Relations. 55: 8, 989-1018. 2002.

“Organizational Identity.” 2005. < http://books.mcgraw-hill.com/training/download/0071362614/page027.doc>.