On the 'Organizational identity' metaphor

This article reviews and evaluates the heuristic status of 'organizational identity' as a metaphor for the generation of knowledge about the subject that it supposedly illuminates. This is done by drawing out the general uses and utility of metaphors within organizational theory and research, on the basis of which the article assesses the 'organizational identity' metaphor with the objective of providing insight into whether this particular metaphor is warranted and has any heuristic value for our understanding of organizational life.