%0 Journal Article
%T Making AI Identity-Compatible: A Cross-Sector Qualitative Analysis of Corporate Identity, Legitimacy, and Governance
%A Nil Konyalılar
%J Journal of Organizational Behavior Research
%@ 2528-9705
%D 2026
%V 11
%N 2
%R 10.51847/R2r0twOoL3
%P 212-224
%X Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly visible not only in organizational operations but also in the communicative and symbolic processes through which corporate identity is constructed and maintained. This study examines how AI is articulated within corporate identity narratives across banking, health care, retail, aviation, and technology, focusing on the sector-specific conditions under which AI becomes institutionally acceptable and identity-compatible. A qualitative, cross-sector design was adopted. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 senior decision-makers across five sectors using a 15-question interview guide covering foundational identity, AI visibility, stakeholder relations, internal adaptation, ethical tensions, governance mechanisms, and future transformation. Data were analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis supported by cross-sector comparison. The findings show that AI did not enter corporate identity through a uniform logic of digital modernization. Rather, AI became identity-relevant when it aligned with the dominant legitimacy logic of each sector. Banking and health care emphasized trust, explainability, and human oversight; retail foregrounded personalization and customer relevance; aviation highlighted operational precision and managed automation; and technology linked AI to innovation while still stressing ethical design and governance. Across sectors, AI appeared to strengthen speed, consistency, predictive coordination, and scalable responsiveness more readily than empathy, contextual sensitivity, and affective nuance. The analysis also identified recurring tensions between consistency and empathy, speed and control, personalization and privacy, innovation and legitimacy, and automation and professional authority.
%U https://odad.org/article/making-ai-identity-compatible-a-cross-sector-qualitative-analysis-of-corporate-identity-legitimacy-upm6nkeaojhgy4z