Organizational Identity Work between Continuity and Change: A Multimodal Analysis of Barilla House Organs

In this study we investigate the process of organizational identity work and its implications for the continuity and change of the overall organizational identity. Barilla, the well-known Italian pasta firm with almost 150 years of history, offers us the opportunity to observe in-depth and longitudinally the phenomenon of interest. Through multimodal analysis, we examine the interplay of visual and written texts in Barilla house organs and suggest that organizational identity work is directed to manage organizational tensions. Our findings show that visual and written texts have a different role in the process and give voice to different actors within the organization. In particular, whereas written texts exhibit the tension in a polyphonic and comprehensive way, visuals express a single voice and thereby resolve such a tension. Theoretical and methodological contributions are offered to the research on organizational identity and general management.