Productive Incoherence A Case Study of Branding and Identity Struggles in a Low-Prestige Organization
Year: 2011
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This dissertation examines the relationship between corporate branding and\nidentity work at organizational and individual levels in the context of a lowprestige\ncorporation. It is based on 17 months of research undertaken as an inhouse\nethnographer at MGP, a European based national telecommunication\ncorporation. The study seeks to contribute to integrated corporate branding theory\nby adopting a critical perspective on the intra-organizational affects of brands and\nbranding. The dissertation contains three papers, each of which contributes to\ndiscussions within corporate branding, organizational identity and identification, as\nwell as to literature on management control and employee resistance. The findings\ndemonstrate that the management adopts integrated corporate branding in a\nhypocritical manner, while employees in response develop a cynical distance to\ntheir work. While this may be interpreted as negative consequences, the\ndissertation argues that these are productive and have certain advantages for the\nmanagement in the given context. Thus, the findings challenge the integrated\ncorporate branding ideal of coherence between the external and internal\ndimensions of corporate branding as the only productive way to create a successful\ncorporate brand.
Author: Sanne Frandsen
Institution: Copenhagen Business School
Language: English
Subfield: Strategy and Management
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2592058061