Process research : how multiple perspectives contribute to an organizational identity

Identity is problematic and the dynamics of identity need to be better understood. But when examining developments in organizational identity usually the why-question is asked. The how-question is underexposed in literature on the topic of organizational identity. The objective of this research is to give a comprehensible clarification of the process that precedes a develop-ment in identity. This paper explains what social mechanisms contribute to the composition of an organizational identity on the basis of a case study. The student organization of VGS-Nederland has been examined to find out from which perspec-tives identity is determined and how they contribute to it. The two perspectives that contribute to an organizational identity according to current literature have been examined to what extent they determined the identity of VGS-Nederland. But this could not explain the developments in identity fully, therefore two new perspectives have been found that contributed to the identity of VGS-Nederland. Semi-structured interviews have been conducted to create an image of determining identity in the last 25 years. The interviews and archival data resulted in these four perspectives that can be used for a better understanding of the composition of an organizational identity...