Organizational IDENTITY???

Such organizations as Disney, Apple, and Google are original aren’t they? Well that is at least what we as consumers would like to think. At the beginning of class on Thursday we struggled to come up with organizations that could be qualified as thriving and having a unique identity. We came up with ONE organization that we all agreed had a unique identity and that was WikiLeaks, however, soon enough it will inevitably fall in to the category of “unoriginal”. Perhaps there is not an organization with an extremely unique identity and what is actually so unique is the consumer. Consumers, as we discussed, are very loyal and many times prideful. They stick to their brand or organization till death do them part. A person’s allegiance with an organization is serious and when that organization is threatened most consumers take it personally. For example, Ms. Murray mentioned phone company services asking, “Who would want to pay $200 for phone service instead of $100 with “her company” for a cheaper price?” later referring to the others as snobs. Ms. Murray’s identity with her phone company service is validated by the more expensive phone company services that she will never pay for. Sigmund Freud stated that organizational identification was a defense mechanism. No one talks about their own organization and the people in it. This idea facilitates an elitist mindset that helps organizations identify themselves. We will never hear Ms. Murray talk bad about her phone company service, because being a part of that organization gives her a sense of pride and connection with something that is bigger than her blackberry.
There are certain aspects of organizations that keep consumers involved such as “stories” and personal experiences. Every organization has its story and it tends to tell people about the essence of the organization. We know that when we go to Best Buy they have the option of buying a geek from the Geek Squad, and Alabama Power strives off of its “southern appeal”. We as consumers buy into those ideas and try to pick up whoever we can along the way to jump on board. The other way that people become so attached to an organization is how the organization markets itself. What suits a person’s lifestyle tends to help create their identity with that organization. Normally the most identifiable aspect of an organization is its slogan. Nike says to “Just Do It”, Gatorade says “Is it in you?”, and Verizon says to “Rule the Air” each of these slogans in some way or another represents each of our lifestyles, beliefs, morals, and everyday approaches to life.
Towards the end of class we compared three major companies Target, Wal-Mart, and Kmart. We discussed each company’s mission and uniqueness. For Target their mission was to expect more and pay less and it’s preferred shopping with clean colors and Starbucks. Wal-Mart says that low prices are their promise and the consumer can find just about anything in Wal-Mart from tires to taxes done. Kmart’s mission is broader and is closely related to that of any retail store but it is prided on its layaway plan. These companies are only unique to the consumer’s preference. None are more special than the other as far as who is winning the greatest retail store competition, but they are special because of what the consumer has to say about them. Organizational identity is a very vague thing. So many organizations share similar qualities that make it hard for them to be out of the ordinary. But as we discussed in class conceivably it is the consumer that makes the organization extraordinary. Are we as consumers buying too much into the hype? Do we think there will ever be an organization that stays unique over time?
-Angelica Howard