Abstract
An organization that gives several answers to the “who are you?” question is a multiple identity organization. When those identities are based on antithetic value systems, identification by organizational members may be complicated. In this case study the Dutch Blood Supply Foundation Sanquin serves as an example of a multiple identity organization. A mixed method approach is used to determine the multiplicity of organizational identity and thereby tries to enrich theory about identity and identification. Since identity is conceptualized as what organizational members find central, distinctive and enduring, the answer to the identity question is obtained by semi-structured interviews with employees and by a questionnaire. The Sanquin identities turn out to be the ones that are usually recognized in multi-identities: an ideological and a utilitarian identity. The multi-identity character of the organization hampers the identification of organizational members, but they still identify with the organization’s mission. The interview results provoke discussion about the enduring identity proposition. The utilitarian identity partly has displaced the ideological identity in a rather short period of time. Identity in a multiple identity is dynamic rather than enduring or continuous. Possible generalizations are discussed.
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Notes
This text is based on a personal interview with Frank Tebbe, 26 August 2016. No literal quotations. Frank Tebbe is Head of Communication at the Dutch Red Cross.
The other 15% is generated by the Diagnostic and Reagents divisions.
Interview guide, see: “Appendix 3” section.
See the authors’ resume and the “Ethics” section.
In “Appendix 1” section, an overview of respondents is provided.
See “Appendix 2” section for the questionnaire (propositions and scale). Only the propositions discussed in this paper are given. The selection of relevant propositions to discuss in this paper was made by focusing on the ones that enquired about identity traits, identification and communication climate. Doublings were skipped.
For the official line of speaking on behalf of Sanquin see: http://www.sanquin.nl/over-sanquin/pers/achtergronden/ For the sake of this essay I bluntly summarize it in a few words.
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Appendices
Appendix 1
Respondents
Sex | Age | Division (blood bank, pharma or other) | Length of service | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Male | 25–45 | P | < 5 |
2 | Male | > 45 | P | 5–15 |
3 | Male | 25–45 | B | 5–15 |
4 | Male | > 45 | B | > 15 |
5 | Female | > 45 | B | 5–15 |
6 | Male | > 45 | B | 5–15 |
7 | Female | > 45 | B | 5–15 |
8 | Female | > 45 | B | > 15 |
9 | Male | 25–45 | P | < 5 |
10 | Male | 25–45 | P | 5–15 |
13 | Male | > 45 | B | > 15 |
14 | Female | 25–45 | P | 5–15 |
15 | Male | 25–45 | P | 5–15 |
16 | Male | > 45 | P | 5–15 |
17 | Male | > 45 | P | 5–15 |
20 | Female | 25–45 | O | < 5 |
21 | Female | 25–45 | P | < 5 |
23 | Male | > 45 | O | < 5 |
24 | Female | 25–45 | P | < 5 |
25 | Female | 25–45 | P | < 5 |
26 | Female | 25–45 | O | 5–15 |
27 | Male | 25–45 | P | > 15 |
29 | Female | 25–45 | B | 5–15 |
30 | Female | > 45 | O | > 15 |
32 | Male | > 45 | B | > 15 |
33 | Male | > 45 | O | 5–15 |
34 | Male | > 45 | O | < 5 |
36 | Female | > 45 | B | 5–15 |
37 | Female | 25–45 | B | 5–15 |
38 | Female | < 25 | B | < 5 |
Appendix 2
Propositions and scales
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Totally agree | Agree | Agree nor disagree | Disagree | Totally disagree | ||
A | ||||||
4 | Sanquin blows along internationally | |||||
5 | Raising profits is an important goal | |||||
11 | In the core Sanquin is and remains a typical Dutch organization | |||||
B | ||||||
7 | During my daily work, I always have the patient in mind | |||||
8 | Sanquin should make profit in the first place. Without that we cannot start helping patients | |||||
9 | During my daily work, I always have the donor in mind | |||||
12 | I find the changes of the last few years at Sanquin positive | |||||
C | ||||||
2 | My boss tells me everything I need to know to understand where the organization is going to | |||||
6 | The one business unit knows what the other is doing | |||||
7 | Via the internal media, you know well what is going on at Sanquin | |||||
D | ||||||
2 | The Sanquin divisions work well in harmony | |||||
6 | At Sanquin we fairly work at cross-purposes | |||||
10 | The university graduates and the other employees are distant from each other at Sanquin | |||||
E | ||||||
2 | If we do not make any profit, we do not exist anymore soon |
Appendix 3
Interview Guide
Interview
Date
Name
Division
Function
Length of service
-
1.
What is:
-
1.1
Central
-
1.2
Distinctive
-
1.3
Enduring
-
1.1
Blood Bank and Pharma
in common:
-
2.
Agreement/attractiveness
-
2.1
Human material—Human material
-
2.2
Focus on product safety—Focus on product safety
-
2.3
Health care—Health care
-
2.4
Research-based—Research-based
-
2.5
Dutch—Dutch
-
2.6
Not for profit—Not for profit
more or less antithetical:
-
2.7
Human centred—Process centred
-
2.8
Donors as “clients”—Pharmaceutical industry as a client
-
2.9
National—International
-
2.10
Public—Private
-
2.11
Social—Business-like
-
2.12
Non for profit—Commercial
-
2.13
Other characteristics
-
3.
What ties it together?
-
4.
Identification with Sanquin
-
5.
Conflicting values
-
6.
Conflicting demands
-
7.
Projected identity
-
8.
Stakeholders
-
9.
Managerial responses
-
9.1
Compartmentalization
-
9.2
Deletion
-
9.3
Integration
-
9.4
Aggregation
-
9.1
-
10.
Customer gap + liaison with multiple identity
-
11.
Further remarks
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Heckert, R. Challenges for a Multiple Identity Organization: A Case Study of the Dutch Blood Supply Foundation. Corp Reputation Rev 22, 101–119 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41299-019-00065-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41299-019-00065-1