Organizational Identity Change: Review and Reflection on Three Decades of Research

Does (or how does) identity endure or change? The temporal aspect of identity—one of the three defining features of the concept of organizational identity—is perhaps the most discussed and debated aspect of the growing stream of literature on organizational identity. Although offering rich and diverse perspectives, these studies remain fragmented. With a view to organizing them, we review over three decades of research—spanning organizational identity, organizational change and institutional perspectives—that evokes and engages (theoretically and/or empirically) with the dynamic and temporal element of organizational identity. We also anticipate and propose future directions for theory and research in this area.