Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Identity‐Image Interactions for the Sales Force in High Threat Situations
研究了组织面临高威胁时，销售人员等边界跨越者如何感知组织投射形象与客户感知形象的差异，进而重构组织认同并影响后续行为。
During times of threat to organizational identity, managers often formulate strategies to regain the organization's original standing. Yet, they frequently ignore the identity‐image interactions that occur for boundary‐spanning members, despite such interactions having the potential to play a pivotal role in the organization's recovery. We propose that, in high‐threat situations, customer‐directed boundary‐spanners, like the sales force, become aware of the discrepancy between the organizational image projected by the organization (Projected Image) and the organizational image perceived by customers (Perceived Image). Consequently, boundary‐spanners restructure their perception of the organizational identity. This restructuring is moderated by several factors. The restructured organizational identity results in the boundary‐spanner manifesting a new projected image, with its attendant assertions and behaviors. We thus synthesize and extend the literature on identity‐image interactions and provide avenues for further research. We also discuss the beneficial managerial implications of closely monitoring the image‐identity interactions of boundary‐spanners in high threat situations.