Aligning Identity and Strategy: Corporate Branding at British Airways in the Late 20th Century

Abstract

A ligning the multiple identities of the corporation is one of the most critical tasks to be undertaken by senior executives.Where meaningful identity misalignments occur the result can be deleterious.When placed in context, the following quote from the "Values" section of a company report of 1998 provides a powerful example of the damage caused by identity misalignments-in this case between corporate communications (communicated identity) and an organization's distinctive traits (actual corporate identity).It read as follows:"We treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves.We do not tolerate abusive or disrespectful treatment.Ruthlessness, callousness and arrogance don't belong here." 1The company was Enron. The AC 3 ID TestHow can senior managers diagnose and resolve the identity misalignments that regularly characterize their organization?The framework outlined here seeks to address the above. 2It is based on the premise that there are six Aligning Identity and Strategy: