Organizational Identity and Esports in Higher Education

The concept of organizational identity, originally developed by Albert & Whetten (1985), can guide the strategic decision making process of executives. In consideration of organizational identity, university administrators, cognizant of the competitive U.S. higher education marketplace, may promote an intended image to distinguish their schools from competitors and gain the attention of attractive student candidates. Despite the rapid emergence of esports at the collegiate level, no data is known to exist that links organizational identity to collegiate esports and its associated issues. The author proposes a research design, using a classification protocol employed by Gioia & Thomas (1996), in anticipation of a study to determine the roles of organizational identity and intended image in collegiate esports. Potential findings may demonstrate the relevancy of the organizational identity and image constructs in higher education in relation to perceptions of esports programs and success.